Roman station was found this spring. They got a large quantity of Roman coins, and other antiquities. I bought some of the coins, with heads and inscriptions of the Roman Emperors, Tiberius and Augustus, as clear as possible. How this seems to take one back to ancient times! and when I see coins with their heads and names, how it seems to confirm my faith in our Scriptures, which speak of these Roman emperors. I dare say you could tell me where.

Not far from this town of St. Croix, there was a very large religious meeting last spring. Thousands of persons met together, for the purposes of devotion. Good ministers and others came from Geneva, and Lausanne, and Yverdun, and all round, and addressed the people, and they sang hymns and prayed. I am told by those who were there, that it was indeed a very blessed time. One is glad to think there were so many who can enjoy such a thing. There was one pious Englishman, who spoke in French for an hour, and greatly pleased the immense congregation.

After we left St. Croix, we got down into the Valley of Traviers,— and very beautiful it is indeed; a narrow valley, with fine rocks, and wood, and streams of water. Here the villages are all full of watchmakers. I could have bought a very good watch for twentyfive or thirty shillings. They carry on a great trade with the Chinese. And do you know, the Chinese buy two watches together

When one goes ill, they say it is " gone dead," and they give it to somebody to "make alive," and they take the live one in its place! When the workman returns the dead watch mended, they are all surprised, and wonder that a man should have such power to give life to a watch. You may be sure the watchmenders make a good trade of it, since a little oil is often quite enough to bring the dead watch to life again. You may well say, "What silly ignorant creatures the Chinese are.". And so you might have been now, but for God's mercy to Britain. And if we know better, how glad we should be, and do all we can to teach and instruct the poor Chinese in better ways; especially when we remember that they send us all our tea. W.

A TRAVELLER'S TALES.

NO. VII.

VESUVIUS.

HERE I am again, ready to make my journey with you. But I am going to make a great leap,-the whole length of Italy, from Pisa (where I last left you) to Naples, because I want to hurry on with you to the East, to Egypt and Syria. But I could not leap over Vesuvius, it was so high, and so smoking and flaming, I was obliged to stop and tell you something about it. Vesuvius is near Naples; it is a volcano,—a great, burning

mountain. You see it in the picture. I went up to see it one day; it was not smoking and flaming then; it was quite quiet, so I dimbed up to the top. It was very steep. My legs ached and ached again; and for every step I took upwards, I slipped nearly half a step downwards; for the stuff I walked upon up the mountain side, was so loose. It had once all come out of Vesuvius. It is called lava.

And when I got up nearly to the top, it was covered with the same lava, only the pieces of it were much larger, and they were quite hot. Yes, quite hot! My feet felt the heat through the soles of my shoes. When I put some eggs upon them, in a few minutes they were roasted! But I was not quite on the top yet. A little more steep climbing still. And now I could hardly breathe. I had to put my handkerchief up to my mouth, for the fumes of sulphur were so strong. You have seen sulphur burning blue on a match? The lava under my feet was all covered with sulphur, and it was burning blue. A few steps further, and I was on the top. And now I looked before me, and there was a broad, deep chasm, nearly circular. I am afraid of saying how broad it was, and I cannot say how deep it was. But I know that it goes down, and down, into the middle of the earth, till it reaches the great fires that are always burning there. Oh, what an awful sight it was! Need I tell you what it reminded me of? There was a little smoke

issuing from this great crater, and a great deal of sulphurous gas and fumes. I could only just look down, without breathing, fo a moment, then had to turn my head away to get a little fresh air.

Sometimes the great fires in the middle of the earth force their way through this chasm or crater; and then flames burst out as you see in the picture, and huge stones are shot out thousands of feet high, and streams of red-hot, molten lava roll over the mountain side. Those villages you see at the bottom have been overwhelmed with lava several times. One is called Herculaneum, the other Pompeii. They have dug out Pompeii, and there I walked through the streets of an old Roman town, and in and out of

the houses, almost as if nothing had ever happened to it! Though it had been buried near two thousand years ago, people were found there, in their parlours and in their kitchens, and in their baths, just as they had died, covered with lava and ashes!

This volcano made me think much of the great fires inside the earth, and of the day when all the world will be burnt up by them. Oh, how easily might the world be burnt! It is only God who keeps us safe.

"IT IS WELL!”

LITTLE B- B-, who lived at Portsea died when she was only nine years old. She used to live with her aunt. One day, when she was very ill, she said to her aunt, "Aunty, when I am dead, I should like Mr. G. to preach a sermon to children, to persuade them to love Jesus Christ; to obey their parents; not to tell lies, but to think of dying and going to heaven. And I have been thinking, aunty, what text I should like him to preach from. I think it should be 2 Kings iv. 26. Now you are the Shunnamite, Mr. G. is the prophet, and I am the Shunnamite's child. When I am dead, I dare say you will be sorry and grieved, but you need not. The prophet will come to see you; and when he says to you, 'How is it with the child?' you may say, 'IT IS WELL.' For I am sure it will then be well