A LEPER VILLAGE.

planets seem trying to pull the earth out of her orbit and make her poise upon her axis. But they cannot overcome the forces which propel the earth in her orbit and upon her axis. Nevertheless, it is plain that these opposing forces cause a strain upon the earth's crust, liable to fracture it. If fractured, a seam will open. If this seam is in the vicinity of water, then water will rush to the great central urn of fire beneath. Instantly converted into steam, the water expands 1,800 times its bulk. As there is not sufficient space to indulge this expansion, the steam seeks to make space by an upheaval of the crust. The bursting of a steam boiler capable of driving a 100,000 horse power engine would compare with this sublime convulsion of nature about as much as the breath of a lady's fan with a tornado. The great ocean of fire becomes agitated, sending its tidal wave from continent to continent. The briny deep receives the shock, and a tidal wave of water responds to tidal wave of fire.”

A LEPER VILLAGE.

Ir seems that in all parts of the East is found that loathsome and incurable disease, leprosy-incurable by any agencies which have yet been discovered by human skill, and hence, doubtless, so frequently selected by our Lord as the disease, the curing of which should incontestably declare the supernatural power which He exercised. A writer in the Cornhill Magazine thus describes a visit to a Chinese leper village near Canton :

"It is situated about two miles and a half from the suburbs of Canton, on a slight eminence, in the midst of cultivated fields, and accommodates between four and five hundred lepers with their children born in the asylum. All persons recognized or declared by the authorities to be lepers are sent to these asylums, of which there are three in the neighbourhood of Canton. Neither husband, wife, nor child, are allowed to accompany the leper to the asylum; but they are allowed to choose conjugal mates from the inmates of the same. The children born from these unions remain in the village. I saw of them a great number, varying from the age of infancy to twenty-five years, and, in fact, judging from the great number of sound people in the establishment, the offspring would seem as numerous as the legitimate occupants of the place. Only one leper admitted that he was the son of another leper then in the place. As a rule, they try to conceal their descent from diseased parents. The village itself forms a rectangle, surrounded by

A WHALE HUNT.

a brick wall twelve feet high, with a gate which is closed every night. The following description may give you an idea of its inner arrangement-A street about fourteen feet wide (wider than any street in Canton) leads from the gate straight up to the temple, or joss-house. From this street branch out at right angles on each side about fourteen narrow lanes, three feet and a half wide, each two separated by one single low building partitioned again by a wall along its whole length, and cross ways by twelve to fourteen cross-walls, so as to form twenty-four narrow apartments. In these small holes that whole mass of population is stowed away every night. Of course I cannot speak with praise of its state of cleanliness-quite the reverse.

During the day the gates are open and the lepers roam about at liberty, to beg through the streets of Canton. They receive, besides, a small daily allowance from the government and the monopoly of the trade of coir-rope making, by which they earn something in addition. The lepers leave the village in the day-time at pleasure, and their friends enter as freely to visit them, circumstances which go far to demonstrate the popular opinion that the contagion is not volatile or diffusible, or that it requires prolonged actual contact to communicate itself from one person to another. We had taken the precautionary measure to send a message to the village on the previous day that we were coming to distribute alms among them. In consequence of this, the greater portion of the lepers remained at home that day, and I had a fine opportunity of examining a great number. As a result of this investigation of cases, Dr. Hillebrand satisfies himself that there is in Chinese leprosy three distinct varieties-the tubercular form, the erysipelatous, and the simply paretic or paralytic. The latter form is often accompanied with inveterate psoriasis. He had frequently seen this type of disease in the Hawaiian islands, but he had not previously recognized it as leprous."

A WHALE HUNT.

A LINE of boats, crescent-shaped, in order to inclose the shoal, was now little more than a quarter of a mile distant from the beach. The bottle-nosed or calling whales, showing their snouts or dorsal fins at intervals, seemed to advance slowly, throwing out skirmishers and cautiously feeling their way. As the beach was smooth and sandy with a gentle slope, the boatmen in pursuit were

A WHALE HUNT.

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endeavouring to drive the shoal into the shallows, where harpoons, oars, hayforks, and other weapons, could be used with advantage against the floundering foe. The excitement of the spectators on land increased as the long line of the sea monsters, steadily advancing, drew closer inshore. From the boats following close behind them came wafted over the water the sound of beating pitchers and rattling rowlocks, and the hoarse chorus of shouting voices that swelled into the prolonged "O-0-0” familiar in popular sea songs. This Babel of noises, which the water mellowed into a wild war-chant, with cymbal accompaniment, was meant to scare the shoal and hasten the stranding of the whales. But an incident occurred that changed the promising aspect of affairs, turned the tide of battle, and gave new splendour and new animation to the scene. Eager to participate in the expected slaughter, two or three farm lads, whose movements had escaped notice, suddenly shot off from the shore in a skiff, rowing right in front of the advancing line. The glitter and splash of oars alarmed the leaders, and the entire shoal, seized with a sudden panic, wheeled simultaneously round with a rapid rush, and dashed at headlong speed into the line of pursuing boats. A shout arose from the shore as the momentary flash of fin-tails, the heaving of the boats, and the rapid strokes of the boatmen showed all too plainly the escape of the whales and the success of the victorious charge. Away beyond the broken line of the fleet they plunged in wild stampede. The boats pursued the shoal, and succeeded in enclosing a portion of them in a beautiful and secluded bay, and by dint of shouting and other noises they drove the whales into the shallows, where they lay, helpless, floundering victims. Fast and furious the boatmen struck and stabbed to right and left, while the people on the shore, forming an auxiliary force, dashed down to assist in the massacre, wielding all sorts of weapons from roasting spits to forks. The poor wounded monsters lashed about with their tails, imperilling life and limb, and the ruddy hue of the water along the stretch of shore soon indicated the extent of the carnage. The whales that had received their death stroke emitted shrill cries, accompanied with a strange snorting and humming noise, which has not inaptly been compared to the distant sound of military drums, pierced by the sharp piping of pipes. Some of the larger whales displayed great tenacity of life, and survived repeated strokes and stabs; but the unequal conflict closed at last, and no fewer than a hundred and seventy carcasses were dragged up the beach.

POETRY.

Poetry.

THE INNER SHRINE.

ANECDOTES AND SELECTIONS.

Anecdotes and Selections.

THE ONLY LIGHT AT DEATH.

LIFE's last hours are grand testing hours; death tries all principles, and lays bare all the foundation. Many have acted the hypocrite in life who were forced to be honest in the hour of death. Misgivings of heart, that we have kept secret through life, have come out in death; and many also who seem all right and fair for heaven, have had to declare that they have been self-deceived. A gentlemen of renown was on his dying bed, when a friend at hand spoke of the Saviour. "As to the Bible," he replied, "it may be true; I don't know." 66 What, then, are your prospects?" he was asked.

He replied in whispers, which indeed were thunders:

"Dark-very dark!"

"But have you no light from the Sun of Righteousness?-have you done justice to the Bible ?"

"Perhaps not," he replied; "but it is now too late-too late !"

A mother who had laughed at and ridiculed religion and religious people, was seen restless and miserable on her death bed. She desired that her children should be called. They came. In impassioned accents she addressed them

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'My children, I have been leading you in the wrong road all your life. I now find the broad road ends in destruction. I did not believe it before. O seek to serve God, and try to find the gate of heaven, though you may not see your mother there."

Her lips were closed for ever, and her spirit departed to its account, while the household looked on terror-struck. Father! mother! would you die thus? heaven and lead the way.

O no! Then point to

THOUGHTS OF GOD.-Suppose two persons equally desirous to gain your affectious, one far distant, and not expecting to see you for a long time, the other always present with you, and at liberty to use all means to win your love, able to flatter and gratify you in a thousand ways. Still you prefer the absent one; and that you may keep him in remembrance, you often retire by yourself to think of his love to you, and view again and again the mementoes of his affection, to read his letters, and pour out your heart in return. Such is now your case; the world is always before you, to flatter, promise, and please. But if you really prefer to love God, you will fix your thoughts on Him, often retire for meditation and prayer, and recount the pleasant gifts of His providence, and especially His infinite mercy to your soul; you will read frequently His holy word, which is the letter He has sent you as really as if it were directed to you by name.-Payson.