amongst the angels of heaven over a sinner that repenteth, we have every reason to believe that there is great joy amongst happy spirits at the sight of that soul being received into mansions of eternal rest.'

Mr. B. and George then walked thoughtfully home. When the hour for afternoon lesson arrived, George went as usual into his father's study. Here he was met by a kind smile, and Mr. B. opening the book of Psalms, said, "Read what David says of those who go down to the sea in ships." George read in Psalm cvii. from the 23rd verse to the 31st; and I advise my young readers to turn to the passage and read it too.

"May I get it off by heart, papa?"

"You may, George; and then pray that the mind of every sailor may be led to consider this beautiful portion of Scripture. May they consider who raiseth the stormy wind; who maketh the storm a calm.' And may they learn to praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.'

WHAT is the difference between a ship and a brig? Between a brig and a schooner ?

Of what are masts made?

Where do the largest trees come from?

Name some towns where the merchants' ships are

made.

Where are men-of-war built?

What is hemp?

Where does the largest quantity come from?

How much rough hemp is used for sails and ropes for a ship of war?

What guides the ship?

What holds it fast in port?

What is iron ?

What does St. James compare to the helm of a ship? How is iron softened?'

What is made of iron besides the anchor ?

What discovery was the most important to mariners ?

When was the compass first used in Europe?
Who was king of England then?

What large continent was discovered by the aid of the compass ?

Name the points of the compass.

PINS AND NEEDLES.

"A LESSON on pins! what a subject for a lesson! They are only little bits of brass, with a round thing called a head stuck on at one end, and the other end sharpened into a point." This is true; but suppose I bring you a piece of brass, with a penknife, can you make a pin with a head and sharp point? "Oh no." Well, then, never reckon anything trifling till you are perfectly acquainted with it; then, and then only, can you form a right opinion of it. If we had lived when queen Elizabeth did, how thankful we should have been for pins such as we use now. Wooden skewers were all that persons had then, excepting the fine ladies at court, and their pins were large clumsy things, made of bone and ivory.

Brass pins were first used in France. It

was the custom then for husbands to make their wives a present, at the new year, of a little extra money for pins. And, from that, it became usual to call the pocket money of married ladies, pin money.

There is a proverb which says, "It takes twenty persons to make a pin.'

Brass is made of copper and zinc; and if we consider all the process of pin-making, from the digging of copper out of the mine, to the last polish required to make the pin smooth and bright, we shall not doubt the truth of the proverb.

When pins are to be made, the brass is drawn out into long wires. Do you know how this is done? There is a large iron plate, full of holes of different sizes, fixed firm and tight. A bar of hot brass is then, by a wheel, dragged through one hole; then through another smaller than the the first; then through another a size smaller than the second; and so on, through every hole, until the wire becomes small enough. What it loses in thickness it gains in length; and it is then cut into the sizes required.

Now, how are the points sharpened? They are sharpened by boys, who sit each with a couple of grindstones before them turned by a wheel. Upon these the edges of the wire are made sharp and pointed.

The heads of pins are made by twisting a very thin wire round and round, into this the blunt end of the pin is stuck, and a slight blow with a small hammer fastens it tightly on. Children are employed to do this; and they learn to do it so quickly, the wonder is that they do not bruise their fingers.

When pins are made, they look, of course, quite yellow. To make them white and nice, as we buy them, they are thrown into a solution of tin, which sticks to the brass. After this, they are put into bran, and turned about very quickly, in order to polish them. I need not add, that when polished, some are put into boxes, and others neatly stuck in papers for sale.

Needles are made of steel. Steel is made of iron and charcoal, melted and mixed together by being put into a hot furnace. The iron and charcoal are allowed to remain red-hot for eight or ten days. Then a bar is drawn out and examined. If it be found quite turned into steel, the rest is allowed to cool. This is called blistered steel: but there is another process, to make what is called cast steel.

Those useful little things called needles, which look so well in the fingers of an industrious girl, are made, as you have already read, of steel. This steel is drawn through holes in an iron plate, the same as brass for pin making. When the steel is thus made small enough, it is cut into the lengths required, and one end flattened. In this flat end a hole is bored by a sharp-pointed instrument; this hole is the needle's eye, into which we put our thread. The points of needles are made by a file while the steel is rather soft.

As soft needles would not be of much use, they are hardened by being made red-hot, and then plunged into cold water. This, on the other hand, makes them very brittle; and now they are again gently heated, and allowed gradually

to cool. Needles are afterwards polished, by being rolled backwards and forwards amongst emery powder. Hundreds are broken in this process and when you consider how many are lost, bent, and broken in every family, you may suppose that many millions are made in the year.

Or what are pins made?

Of what is brass made?

How many persons are said to be required to make a pin ?

How is the brass wire made small enough?

What is next done?

How are the points sharpened?

How are the heads made?

Are children or grown-up persons employed to do this?

What is the colour of the pin when first made?
What turns it white and bright?

What were used for pins in queen Elizabeth's time?

Where were brass pins first introduced?

Of what are needles made?

What is steel?

How long is the iron and charcoal allowed to remain in the hot furnace?

When taken out, what is it called?

What is cast steel?

How is steel made the proper size for needles?
What makes the needle's eye?

And what the point?

What state is the steel in when the points are

filed?

How is it hardened?

And how polished?

Name some other things made of steel.