and pleasure in each other's improvement. If we should be separated by distance, may we still be united by affection. In the midst of the daily and active occupations by which we live, may we still find time to send a thought after our friend, and may that thought, while it "moistens the eye," do our hearts good, and make us still more gentle in our temper, still more kind in our manners, and still more pure in our thoughts.

ON THE REASONS FOR EMIGRATION, AND THE ADVANTAGES TO BE ENJOYED DURING THE PASSAGE.

1st. When we have taken any step in life, that will be followed by a great change in our condition and prospects, it is of importance to feel that our after, as well as our previous judgment, approves of the step which we have taken. Surely, in the present case, we may experience this satisfaction. The motives which determined me to emigrate were, I hope, good and right. I, in common with those around me, (bound with me to the same port,) had begun to feel the pressure of poverty, and the great difficulty of obtaining an honest livelihood in my own country; and willingly to remain a burden on that country, would have reflected no credit upon any one of us. We are quitting a country where the employers have too many hands, and seeking one in which the employed are wanted. We have

a reasonable expectation of greatly improving our condition, if we carry into the country which is to be the scene of our labours, industrious and active habits, teachable dispositions, and, above all, good principles. Few of us leave home quite ignorant either of service or of trade, but even for these few there is encouragement, if they enjoy good health, have a good temper, are corrupted by no improper habits, and are determined to make themselves useful, in any employment for which "a willing mind' would fit them. We may rest satisfied, then, that, on the whole, we have done the right thing, in embarking on this expedition; and it only remains for us to make a wise and grateful use of the advantages which we may enjoy during our passage, bearing, with cheerful patience, all the inconveniences which those who undertake a long voyage in our circumstances must have to endure.

2nd. There are two persons whose presence amongst us ought to be looked upon as a great advantage. To their authority, influence, and advice, we ought respectfully to attend and to submit. These persons are the chaplain and the matron. With respect to the latter, it will be her office to see that our time does not pass unimproved and unemployed. She will portion out to us a daily supply of needle-work, and will insist on habits of order, industry, and cleanliness. In doing all this, she will do quite right; in not attending to her, we shall do quite wrong. For one, therefore, may I endeavour to please her, from a sense of duty, as well as from

clearly seeing the advantage, to myself, of cultivating neat and orderly habits. She has been kindly placed in the situation of matron amongst us to do us good, and we shall only prove ourselves to be foolish young women if we do not make her our friend, by respectful and proper conduct towards her.

3rd. With respect to our chaplain, when I call to mind his sacred office, I have reason to be grateful that I am not so lost to a sense of religion as not to feel great respect for every minister of the Gospel, whether in the Established church, or out of it, who addresses his hearers with an affectionate and serious concern for their real good. It has seemed fit to the will of God to try us with many and great temptations, and too many of us fall by them, and are lost. The entrances to sin are many, and are sometimes, through want of self-examination, quite unperceived by us. Can it, then, be wise, in such frail beings, to neglect the services of religion, whenever and wherever we are present at them? Whenever they are conducted in a good spirit, they are well worthy of being listened to, and it is miserable folly to suffer our thoughts, when they ought to be engaged in these services, to be wandering upon our own trifling cares and foolish wishes. When our attention is called to things Divine, let us obey the call, and let that attention be given. We may rest assured of this, that, whether we attend Divine service in a church or in a chapel, on board a vessel, or at our own homes, if we wish this service to do us good, it will do so. We shall feel more grieved

at what we have done wrong in the past, and a more heartfelt desire to act a better part for the future. Good thoughts will be pleasant, and welcome; we shall feel happier in ourselves, and a greater wish to make others happy, and shall in time learn to look upon it as a "sweet and pleasant thing to go to the

house of God in company.' Opportunities for public worship will seem like delightful "halting places in life's rough road," from whence we can not only take clearer views of duty, but give our minds time to reflect upon the best method of performing it. May my attendance upon the services conducted by our chaplain be marked, during the whole of the voyage, by a respectful attention, which will "help the word" in its passage to my heart, and fill it with a silent but deep feeling of thankfulness, that for me he has not spoken altogether in vain.

REFLECTIONS ON CHILDREN, AND OUR INFLUENCE OVER THEM.

1st. When I see a young child before me, who is at all dependent upon me for its pleasure or its instruction, what are the kind of ideas, by dwelling upon which, I can so shape my own mind as to benefit that of the child? First, I must remember that children take great notice of the conduct of those around them. Their look, their manner of speaking, their actions, are all observed; and, more than this, they are all imitated by them.

For

instance, if I am of a passionate temper, and, giving way to senseless anger, utter vehement expressions against any one, or violently push aside the unoffending and sleeping occupant of the kitchen hearth, if it happens to lie in my way, I shall not only have done harm to myself, by increasing my natural impatience of temper, but I shall have done harm to the child. In a short time its tiny arm will mimic my foolish action, and the unkind word and blow will be bestowed on the defenceless animal, wholly unconscious of its offence against the little tyrant of a boy or girl, whom milder words and gentler actions on my part might have saved from the sins of passion and of cruelty. Is cruelty too strong a word? Certainly not. The child, who, when angry, strikes a dog or a cat (though its little arm may not have sufficient power to hurt the animal), is sowing bad seed, and, without great care, that child's mind will bring forth the harvest of cruelty, when that arm has power. Let me, therefore, always endeavour to cultivate a gentle temper, and a perfectly humane disposition. As opportunity offers, either in or out of doors, may I sow the good seed of mercy in a child's heart. May I teach it to be kind to all God's creatures, from the smallest fly, and the poor worm that crawls so helplessly at our feet, to the strong ox, or the powerful elephant. Then shall I succeed better in my wish to bring home to the child's mind the sweet pleasure of seeing the beautiful insect flutter past him, undetained by any selfish hand, and of looking up to the bird's nest, so