them from communicating with their countrymen. The English sailors were distributed among the Dutch ships.

Seven weeks of suspense and anxiety passed away without any further knowledge of what was transpiring in the outer world. At length, on the 20th of May, a French frigate dropped anchor in Simon's Bay, and her captain reported that a French fleet with a strong body of troops might shortly be expected to protect the Cape,

The intelligence was correct. As soon as war was proclaimed with the Netherlands, the English government commenced to fit out an expedition to seize this colony. Every particular concerning it, however, was made known to the French court by a spy named De la Motte, who had been for some time resident in London, and who was detected, tried for high treason, and condemned to death a few months later. At this time a French Aeet was being prepared to assist in the operations against Sir Edward Hughes in the East Indies. Its equipment was therefore hurried on with the utmost expedition, and some transports were added to it for the purpose of conveying land forces to South Africa. It was seen to be a trial of speed, in which the possession of the Cape was to be the prize of the winner.

On the 13th of March 1781 the English Aleet sailed from Spithead. It consisted of the Romney, of 50 guns, carrying the Aag of Commodore George Johnstone, Commander-in-Chief of the expedition, the Hero, 74, Monmouth, 64, Jupiter, 50, Isis, 50, Apollo, 38, Jason, 36, Active, 32, Diana, 28, Infernal, fireship, Terror, bomb, seven light armed cruisers, two cutters and a sloop as despatch vessels, four transports, eight storeships and victuallers, and thirteen Indiamen, in all forty-six sail. Three thousand troops, under General Meadows, were on board. . On the fourth day after sailing a Dutch merchantman was chased by the Rattlesnake cutter, and captured after a sharp action.

All went well until the arrival of the Aeet at St Jago, where the Commodore intended to take in a supply of fresh water, for which purpose he came to anchor in Porto Praya Roads. He had no suspicion of danger, as he did not consider it possible that his destination was known to the enemy. No precautions were therefore taken against surprise, but, on the contrary, the decks of the ships of

gave full information concerning the arrival of Suffren and the condition of the five ships they had recently parted from. Captain Mackenzie then hauled down the French flag and demanded the surrender of the Woltemaade under pain of instantly sinking her. She was given up without a blow. On taking possession the captors found in addition to a valuable cargo a sum of money equal to forty thousand pounds sterling, which was intended to aid the government of Ceylon. The Active immediately returned with her prize and reported to the Commodore, who, upon learning that the Cape was now too strong to be attacked, resolved to make himself master of the five Indiamen.

At half past nine on the morning of the 21st of July a signal was made from the look out station at Saldanha Bay that a large fleet under French colours was in sight and standing straight in. An hour later the leading ships were within the entrance, when they hauled down the French and hoisted English colours.

According to their instructions, the Dutch officers should now have destroyed their ships, seeing that defence and escape were alike impossible. But the skipper of the Middelburg was the only one of the five who had taken the precaution to have a quantity of inflammable materials in readiness for such an occasion, and the consequence was that although all the ships were hastily set on fire and abandoned, the English sailors got possession of the Hoogkarspel,

Honkoop, Paarl, and Dankbaarheid in time to extinguish the flames before any material injury was done.

As for the Middelburg, no exertions could save her. The fire, kindled in the lower hold, poured volumes of smoke and Aame through the hatches of her main deck, so that it could not be got at. It had even made its way between decks by the time the English boats were alongside. Only one English sailor went on board the burning ship, and he went on a mission of mercy. In the haste of abandoning their vessel, the crew of the Middelburg had neglected to release two prisoners of war who were confined in her, and the cries of these unfortunate Englishmen were heard throgh the open ports. A gallant sailor climbed on board, descended from the upper deck, made his way to the prison through smoke and flame, and released his captive countrymen. All three then threw

themselves out of the portholes and were picked up by the boats, but the brave rescuer was so badly burnt that he lost the use of one of his arms.

At length the fire reached the ship's magazine, and an explosion took place which hurled chests of tea and bales of cotton goods together with fragments of timber high into the air. A moment afterwards what was left of the hull sank to the bottom, but as the water was shallow the remains of the cargo were easily recovered some years later.

There was ample time to destroy the Zon and Snelheid, which were lying at anchor a long way up the bay, but their crews abandoned them just as they were, and thus the captors obtained possession of all the equipage of their prizes. At Saldanha Bay two Indian princes were found, who had been banished by the Batavian government from Ternate and Tidor for political offences. These exiles were released from captivity, and were received as guests on board one of the men-of-war. In two days the Indiamen were got ready for sea, and on the 24th the feet sailed, leaving nothing afloat behind but the two empty cutters.

The main object of the expedition having been frustrated, Commodore Johnstone resolved to send the troops on to India and to take a portion of the fleet back to Europe. He therefore placed Captain Alms in command of the convoy, for the protection of which he left five of his best ships of war; and with the Romney, Jupiter, Diana, Jason, Terror, Infernal, one light cruiser, three victuallers, and the Dutch prizes, he stood away for England.

While these events were taking place on the western border of the colony, the eastern frontier was the scene of hostilities with the Kaffirs. The Imidange, then as now the most restless and prone to robbery of all the Kaffir clans, together with some others an enumeration of whose exact titles would only cause confusion, crossed the Fish River under their chiefs, and spread themselves over a large tract of country on this side. They had done the same thing in the preceding year, when they were driven back by burgher forces under command of Josua Joubert and Pieter Ferreira.

Adriaan van Jaarsveld, a man very well known in later days, Money and Banking. The hotels in the small town of Killarney, in Ireland, are now crowded with summer tourists, as a late arrival in that season may, perhaps, find out to his discomfort. But it has not been so always. About half a century ago, parties of visitors to the beautiful lakes in the neighbourhood occurred only now and then. At that earlier date charges were moderate and copper coinage scarce. A well-to-do saddler took upon himself to supply this deficiency, by issuing paper notes from the value of threepence down to that of a halfpenny. A party consisting of two or three gentiemen and several ladies had no other resource, in paying away small sums, but to invest in these notes. Having faithfully done the splendid scenery of the lakes, packed their boxes and settled their bills, the leader of the party found he was still in possession of local paper to the amount of fifteen shillings and ninepence. They had not yet any of them seen the banker of the place in person, but having time upon their hands, and thinking they might extract some amusement from a visit, they set off on that errand. As they passed the threshold, they found the man of business, seated. on a low stool, firmly tightening his well-rosined Aax, with which he was sewing. Advancing towards him the spokesman said, whilst the others stood a little way off, “ Are not you the banker of this town?” “Yes, indeed, I am,” was the reply, “for lack of a better.” “Well, we have come to you to obtain cash for a number of your notes. It is a very heavy sum we require, amounting to fifteen shillings and ninepence.” “What is cash ?” was asked in return, “is it anything in the leather line? Here we have,” he went on to say without giving time to answer, at the same time turning half round to put his hand on the article, "a furst rate ladee's saddle, it is just the thing for one of these illigant ladees you have with you.” The gentleman shook his head. “Ah well, if you do not want that,” turning to the other side, he said, “ here is a capital bridle. The price of it is just fifteen shillings and sixpence halfpenny. But I'll drop the halfpenny, as I do not wish to keep these bootifull ladees, dear crayturs, waiting." But the bridle not being in request either, cash, however reluctantly, had to be produced.

We give this story, which we have met with in our reading, as an example of the way in which banking and money originated in order to meet a felt want. Numerous instances could be given in which banking has been super-added to some other employment that admitted of its being attended to at the same time. Goldsmiths naturally were led to resort to the exchanging or lending of money. In James the First's time, George Heriot amassed a fortune by the double occupation, which he devoted by will to the establishment of the Educational Institution in Edinburgh, which still bears his name. John Guy, the founder of the infirmary and medical school in London, called Guy's Hospital, was originally a bookseller, and succeeding in that business he took to banking, thus killing two dogs with one stone, for he did not part with his trade in books, when he became a money dealer. The grandfather of Miss Burdett Coutts, who lately, at the ripe age of nearly seventy years, was led to the Hymeneal altar by Mr. Ashread Bartlett, yet in the prime of life, was a London merchant before turning banker. The great Italian house of Medici, illustrious for the extraordinary talents of its members for several successive generations, their patronage and love of learning, the princely fortunes which they acquired and the alliances which they formed with royal blood, were originally druggists, or as they are styled in England pharmaceutical chemists. They carried on banking by lending money on pledge, and, in their new business of pawnbrokers, they still retained the cognizance of their former trade, as is indicated by the three gilt balis, these being representative of pills.

The best mode of learning any subject is to trace its progress from its first beginnings to the furthest point it has yet attained. This progress does not usually quite agree with the lapse of time, as reckoned from some particular date. What we reckon modern is frequently to be met with in ancient times, and the things of old are still oftener to be met with in the present day. The age of money and banking are preceded by that of barter, and the latter mode of doing business has not yet forsaken the earth. But the other day we were told of a person in this colony who sent to a shop to get some tea in exchange for an egg, to be rendered when the laying season next comes round. Towards the back settlements of the