FRIENDLY ADVICE. "The first step to wisdom is to be free from folly." It would have been well for us had we considered the above maxim, and proved its truth by our example. Had such been the case, how very different had been our lot to what it now is! How many long days and nights, nay, years of sorrow, might we not have warded off! Not only might we have been strangers to grief ourselves, but numbers of our dear relatives and affectionate friends would have been spared the poignant anguish consequent on our folly; they would also have been spared the opprobrium which the unthinking part of mankind cast upon the connections of a felon. Man is prone to err, and more particularly where want of education exists. Let us then strive, one and all, to remove this stumbling-block-the ignorant by diligent attention, the educated by imparting their knowledge to others. These measures will soon establish the superiority of the spiritual over the merely animal part of our nature, and, by perseverance, we will become gradually assimilated to the nature of Him who is the fountain of all wisdom and felicity. W. J. WEEKLY RECORD. THE day of the publication of this Journal is the tenth since our departure from England. During that time, in spite of sea-sickness and the general prostration caused by that distressing malady, order has been established, the school is in full operation six hours daily, and nothing has occurred to disturb the harmonious movement of the ordained routine. Much satisfaction is derived from witnessing the avidity with which the various classes receive instruction, and the earnestness which individuals display in applying themselves to allotted tasks. These constitute pleasing auguries for the future, and for the present reward the labours of the zealous instructors. We have to lament, however, that these pleasing results are not universal. A small number have evinced a decided reluctance to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them, while others have exhibited a stolid apathy that destroys all hope of improvement. By what process of reasoning these men justify their conduct, it is impossible to discover; but as attendance and attention are imperative, we hope soon to see very different feelings manifested. Light and favourable winds, a warm sun, a blue sky, and a deeper blue sea, have combined to render our voyage for the last few days delightful. Two days ago, glancing like living amethyst, we first observed a few solitary individuals of that beautiful species of the Nautilus family, called by sailors ironically "the Portuguese man o' war," which have now become so frequent. In its bright tinted sail the imaginations of poets and painters have found the fit abode of pure and rosy love. Silent, solitary, and motionless, it appears absorbed in contemplation of the radiant beauty that surrounds it. removed from the cankering cares of the world, pillowed on the dancing waves, bathed in sunshine and amaranthine bloom, it seems an ocean hermit, a living flower, a blossom of the rainbow. The life of this frail thing, one cannot but suppose, must be one of unclouded enjoyment; for it is impossible to believe that the beneficent Creator has formed any living thing without bestowing Far on it the sensibilities and capacities adapted for happiness. Although we cannot believe that, like the higher orders of intellect, it can create a heaven of thought for itself, we are yet justified in concluding that it finds in its physical sensations a sensible paradise; for if we view it otherwise, the animal structure becomes merely a chemical aggregation of callous atoms, however delicately it may be formed. That lofty island which you observe on our port beam, rising abruptly out of the blue waters, is Madeira-the beautiful. You have no doubt often heard of it as the resort of those blooming with an unearthly beauty, who seek-alas! too often in vain- —a refuge from the inexorable foe that is devouring them, in the balmy breezes, the vivifying sunshine, and flowery dells, canopied with feathery palms or luxuriant fruit-trees, which peculiarly characterise this favoured land. The principal town, Funchal, stands along the shore of a shallow bay on the eastern side. Behind it the steep hill-side, ploughed with deep ravines, is cultivated in terraces to the summit a height of some 2000 feet. There, according to the elevation, you may select whatever climate you please. On this, the western side, under the shadow of which we are now sailing, may be observed the same general features. We see the same waving canopy, embowered villas, rugged precipices, and lofty elevation, that derive shade and moisture from the towering mass of clouds that rests heavy and lowering over it. Not the least interesting or important event that has occurred was the birth of a pretty female baby, on the third day after our departure from England. We wish the fortunate parents every joy of the dear possession. May they find it a pledge of domestic happiness! Our good old ship laboured and creaked so furiously on the auspicious occasion, that we entertained suspicions that her unwonted jollity might crack her sides. She has, however, safely got over it, and is now again a steady old lady. D. R. AN ATTEMPT. THE "Pestonjee Bomanjee," as you may understand, Sailed from Plymouth Sound, bound for Van Dieman's Land, With a well experienced captain, first mate, and second too, And a hardy smart old boatswain, as e'er the whistle blew. A surgeon we have got on board, who is extremely kind, With a worthy pious chaplain of meek and lowly mind: They use their best endeavours, to try and make us see The chain of sin with which we're bound by Satan's tyranny. A school we're going to have each day, for those who are inclined To exercise their memory, and cultivate their mind : And as we're all one flesh and blood, like brethren let us be, And spend the few short months to come, in peace and harmony. Those men who are amongst us with education blest, I hope will patiently endeavour to benefit the rest; A. W. [These are the initials of a native of Paisley, aged twenty-three, by trade a tailor, if he ever acquired another than thievery, which is doubtful. His daily work was in all probability crime, as he confessed that he had been convicted of various offences five times, and as often had suffered imprisonment. The extreme leniency of the law in this case, when compared with the rigour shown on other occasions, excites our surprise. His education, which had not been neglected, seemed to have produced no beneficial effect on this man's moral character. He was essentially vicious; and no training, no discipline, will probably ever change him. In his nature he resembled the fox-sly, mischievous, plausible, yet untameable. There did not probably exist in his composition one spark of any generous or ennobling feeling. His cowardice alone shackled his evil disposition. Whether this idiosyncrasy is congenital, or merely the result of habit and vice, is doubtful; but it appears impossible to view it otherwise than as displaying some peculiar mental conformation, probably dependent on the physical structure of the individual. There was nothing, however, remarkable about this man's cranial development; his capacities were above the average, and his appearance would have been prepossessing but for a peculiar expression of the eyes, which, always indicating a consciousness of guilt and a felonious intention, renders the possessor repulsive. He was sentenced to seven years' transportation for theft, of which time he had already served more than two and a half years, in separate confinement, and employed in public works, so that he would probably soon after his arrival at Hobart Town obtain a conditional or free pardon.] |