these forbidden pleasures at the risk of the displeasure of God, and the loss of their immortal Souls!

My dear young reader, be wiser; let a nobler choice be your's. Seek, O seek, the pardon and favour of God through Jesus Christ. Give the spring-time of your life and the bloom of your days to your dear Saviour who shed his blood for you, and who will, if you are faithful to him unto death, introduce you to an incorup tible inheritance, where

"Everlasting spring abides,
And never-withering flowers."

There, blooming with unfading youth, and adorned with robes of immortal beauty, you will enjoy an unbroken and unclouded prospect of never-ending felicity! And then, O then, where will the pleasures of the worldling be?-gone for ever! whilst he is left the subject of bitter disappointment and eternal despair

Resolve, then, my young reader, to seek after durable riches and righteousness, and ever say,

Vain world thy weak attempts forbear,

I all thy charms defy;

And rate my precious soul too dear

For all thy wealth to buy!

THE YOUNG ROBIN.

66

Well, my "A young

PASSING down a narrow lane one morning, I observed a boy playing with a little bird on a wall: boy," said I, "What have you got there?" robin, sir." "And what are you going to do with it?" "It has flown out of that nest at the end of the hovel,

66

and I shall let it go back again: I must not keep it, for it is a robin." "And why must you not keep it because it is a robin ?" O, it would be a sin, sir, to keep a robin-red-breast." I asked him if he ever thought it a sin to play on the sabbath; to this he made no reply. I then talked to him a short time, and left him.

Now I wish to remind the boys who read this, that they ought not to be cruel to any of God Almighty's creatures, and that it is very hard hearted of them to go and seek for, and then take away the nests, eggs, or young ones, not only of robins, but hedge sparrows, or any other birds. And though it is sinful and wicked to be cruel even to a fly, yet, I fear, some boys think there is more sin in taking the nest of a robin than in swearing, lying, breaking the sabbath, or disobeying their parents.

Such boys are like the Pharisees of old; they "strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." And I would advise them to read the xxiii chapter of Matthew.

POOR JACK AND HIS BIBLE.

SOME years ago, one of his Majesty's ships struck on a sunken rock off the coast of Scotland. Several of the crew got into the boat, which was upset, and they perished. The remainder of the crew clung to the vessel, and a calm coming on, they at length got safe to shore. The bodies of those that had ventured into the boat, were afterwards found, and carried to the village public house. A survivor says, "In the evening I went

to see them: Poor Jack was laid out on a sheet on the floor; a blue checked shirt his only shroud; on his hands and face were a few scratches, which he had received from the rocks, as the billows, wave after wave, flowing and receding, had cast him on the beach. Yet his countenance wore a sweet and heavenly expression; and, stooping down I robbed his head of a little lock of hair that lay on his temples. His effects, alas! how poor, and yet how rich! were spread upon a table in the room, and consisted of a little leathern purse, in which was a well kept half-crown, and a solitary six-pence! His Bible, which he had accounted his chief riches, and from which he had derived treasures of wisdom and knowledge, was placed by its side. I took it up and closing its clasps of brass, (for its leaves had been laid open to dry) I read engraved upon them these words, The gift of Robert Raikes, to John Richard Pelham, Gloucester." Our young readers will remember that Robert Raikes was the founder of Sunday Schools, and this poor sailor boy appears to have been one of his scholars. When he and his company left the ship, they never expected to return, and each took what he thought most valuable. Poor Jack took his Bible, which he had been taught to read in a Sunday school, and which had often whilst living been his instructor and comforter.

66

May this blest volume ever lie,

Close to my heart and near my eye;
In life's last hour my thoughts engage,
And be my chosen heritage!

THIS picture represents a pagoda. It is a high tower covered with porcelain tiles to the top; of which there are hundreds in China. They are curious and wonderful buildings, but more for ornament than use.

The city of Pekin is the metropolis of China; and just now as there is much talk about it, I will give you a a description of it, as furnished by a party who visited that famous city some years ago.

You will remember what was said about "China and the Chinese" at page 8-but if you do not, turn to it again, and read it before you read this.

Well: have you read it? If you have, I hope you have also done something towards sending the million

of Testaments to that dark land. I have heard of one little village school in Leicestershire, of only forty children, whose teachers and scholars sent as much as two pounds. If all the schools in England had done as much, there would have been two millions sent.

I told you that the people of China had risen to put down their tyrannical and idolatrous rulers. The last news tells us that they were drawing near to the great city, a description of which I now give you.

The city they found to be enclosed by a high wall, with towers at convenient intervals. It was, in form, an oblong square, and covered about twelve square miles; its suburbs, too, were very extensive. The following brief description, if attentively considered, will enable the reader to understand better the narrative of our travellers' passage through it.

It is surrounded by walls, with large square buildings at the corners, and towers at equal distances along the sides. On each side of the city are two great gateways, with large and lofty edifices erected over them for their defence. Four wide and straight streets lead from these gateways through the city. The train entered at the most southerly of the two eastern gates: and one of the travellers gives the following description of the scene which presented itself to their view, when they were fairly within the walls :

"We had no sooner passed the gate, and opened out on the broad street, than a very singular and novel appearance was exhibited. We saw before us a line of buildings, on each side of a wide street, consisting en