tion of those labourers who came at the "twelfth hour."

And if the avenues of approach are so different and multiplied, the objects attained are not less calculated to foster variety of character. It is the lot of One to migrate among the Shetland isles; and there, amidst gulls and sea-weed, to pray for good weather, and to secure" stranded whales." Another has his manse and kirk in a Highland glen, where all that is sublime and striking in external nature and solitude, expands his soul. A third dwells in a country village, as Lot did in Sodom, with this difference, that he has no Zoar to fly to. A fourth occupies a Burgh incumbency-dines with magistrates and gets fat. A fifth is placed in the very centre and focus, as it were, of metropolitan politics, from whence, as the spider in the midst of his web, he feels to the very extremity of the church. One has married early, and struggles on and on, like a man swimming for his life-under the pressure of an increasing family, and an accumulating burden of debt. Another has courted so many maidens, and missed so many churches, and counted so many years, before his final establishment, that he sits down a confirmed Bachelor, and keeps open house for all clerical visitors. A third advances upon courtship with the presentation in his pocket, and furnishes his manse with his wife's portion. The Calvinistic views and habits of One confers upon his aspect somewhat of severity, whilst it adds, however, greatly to the flow of kindly feeling which circulates beneath. Another praises our Saviour's sermon on the mount-regards St James as a sound preacher-and inculcates, rather by advice than example, good morals. A third and a fourth variety shoot out, on each side, into somewhat of extravagance, and are exceedingly violent upon mystical subjects of dispute. Now, Mr Editor, under these causes, which I have been at some pains to enumerate, the wonder is, not that we have here and there "a Character" in our Presbyterian Establishment, but that we have so few. And nothing short of the pressure of that "civilization Roller" to which I formerly alluded, can account for the fact, as it actually exists.

But when I recollect the olden times, and the men thereof-when I sit down of an evening, betwixt dinner and tea,

and over a tumbler of toddy, my daily allowance, and, I believe in my conscience, the Helicon of all my musings

image to myself the father of his people, habited in the most plain and homely manner, not less loved and respected at home, than esteemed and venerated abroad-carrying along with him, into all the intercouse of life," a mind void of offence"-a sincerity and an earnestness, which extended over all religious duty, from the "grace" to the frugal and homely meal,-to the more impassioned elevations of an "Action sermon." When I fancy him, of a sacrament afternoon, and under no other canopy than that which the cope of heaven afforded, pouring over an assembled district the wholesome, and the soothing, and the nourishing refreshments of the gospel-when I follow him from the tent to the manseand mark, by the way, the every-day look and demeanour which he wears→→ that total absence of all selfishness which he betrays, and which evinces itself in an easy, and unconstrained, and unassumed familiarity with every, even the poorest and the meanest Peasant around him. When I follow him into his " Visitations," and advance with the venerable Patriarch, as he stoops to enter the door, or carefully avoids stumbling upon the threshold of the Cottager-as, in silent sympathy, he grasps the skeleton hand, and presses the burning brow of the sickas he takes his seat by the bed-side, upon the carefully dusted chair, and opens his mouth in accents of heavenly comforting. When I still recall the plaintive and affectionate, "O, sir, there has been a great change sin' ye were here yesterday-an' meickle and sair has my poor man wearied to see you:" and when I listen to the petition, which on bended knee is offered up for pardon, and mercy, and comfort, and consolation to the dying man-for the possession of the kingdom, which it is

the Father's" good pleasure to give ; and the bestowment of the mansion, "which the Son hath gone to prepare;'

When I image and recollect all this by my afternoon table, I feel as if I were seated, westward, beneath an old ash tree, basking away my hours, under the soothing and mellowing influence of a bright and setting sun. Such cogitations as these are laudanum to my soul, amidst all the feverish anxieties of life, and afford me a source of enjoyment

which "the world cannot give;" and which, thank God, who has hitherto continued to me the use of my mental faculties, the world, with its extensive power of deprivation, cannot take away.

There are times, too, when under the presiding influence of reflection, I can pourtray for myself the homely, heartsome "Boanerges" of his people, -idolized by them, and acceptable to all, possessed of strong common sense, of that "Crassa Minerva,"-without which nothing will tell, and with which nothing almost will fail of effect, and making use of that broad Doric accent and language, which is imbued and seasoned with the best feelings, and the most hallowed sympathies of a Scotsman. I can see him stretching out his arms over the pulpit, elevating the Bible above his head; and can even mark the "supplosio pedis," as it comes hollow and alarming from beneath. I can view him, now meek, and mild, and still, as the pause before the clap,-then bursting away into noise, and thunder and lightning, even to the dividing of the joints and the marrow, deriving illustrations and enforcements of his doctrine, not from the writings of men, but immediately and directly from God himself.

In perfect keeping and conformity with this strength and fearlessness of character, I can still recall the image of the man of God, in his every-day externals-"unanointed, unannealed"straying about the doors in complete negligence of brace or buckle, or button, and altogether careless or unconscious of the somewhat uncouth and not a little ridiculous figure he cuts. Compared with this truly Tuscan order of clerical architecture, what are our modern imitations! the tortuous and top-heavy columns of imbecility, or the fluted and disproportioned shafts of affectation!

In order to vary the character of my "recollections," I can call from his grave the Scholastic and Mystic Doctor, with a whole host of commentators and authorities at his back, preaching over the heads, yet in his private deportment insinuating himself into the hearts of his people. I can uncoffin the trembling Victim of apprehensions, him "to whom Satan's invisible world was discovered;" and who, through the whole course of his ministry, lived under the bondage of superstition. I can

give you a peep at the tart and caustic Satyrist, lowering sulkily under a heavy protuberance of frontal bone, yet bearing no malice in his heart against man, woman, or child; and, last of all, to conclude this enumeration of clerical peculiarities, I can treat you with the simple look and gentle demeanour of One, over whom conscience and his "Servant-man" have established their dominion, who knew not his own glebe from his neighbour's farm, nor could recollect the regular return of Sabbath, but for the timely and somewhat querulous suggestions of "his wife." And that you may enter more fully and heartily into the apprehension of the personage I refer to, be so kind as attend, previously, to the following facts and observations:

In these good, old-fashioned, comfortable-looking times, of which I write," a Minister's man,” and a brace of horses, not quite indeed of the Pegasæan description, together with the necessary implements of a small farming establishment, were as essential to "a Country Parson," as a goose and lap-board are to a tailor, or a slouched hat and black silk apron to an English Bishop. The Minister was never seen five hundred yards from his own door, unaccompanied by his half " Pylades,” half "Mentor," and, as my cousin Paddy O'Rourke would add, half Servant-the "Minister's man." To this bustling and useful Individual were committed, without the trouble of repeated orders, or every day adjustments-the office of ploughing annually, or of causing to be ploughed, four good acres of arable land-of preserving himself and his horses, meanwhile, in flesh and in good keeping-of passing the Mistress from the "louping-on-stane," up to the curple be hind her husband-of pinning down and carefully stretching under the foot of said mistress, the skirt of her ridinghabit, or tail of a blue-duffle Josephof riding, whilst within the parish, at a respectful distance, but when fairly out of it, neck and head, alongside of his Master; and, lastly, of administering advice and assistance, in all cases of real or apprehended danger or difficulty,-and, in particular, in leading the minister's horse past a pond in moonshine,-in taking the road foremost upon the approach

try to manage Shadrach." But just as this prudent and managing menial was in the act of thrusting his somewhat large and broad-set person past the Minister's shoulders, a strong blast of wind, co-operating, in all probability, with a sudden collision, sent hat and wig at once, and without possibility of prevention, into the "Covenanter's hole" beneath; and, to increase the disaster, these two hitherto almost inseparable friends, from the violence of the descent, were seen to float distinct and apart upon the surface of the flood. Angus, with that discretional foresight for which every one in the family, except his Mistress, gave him credit, stationed himself at the head or commencement of the gullet beneath, and thus intercepted first the hat, which came on blithely, bobbing and tilting upon the curl,and latterly the wig, which, more in the manner of a saturated hedge-hog, made a leisurely and less ostentatious approach. The Hat was easily picked up, and, having pitched on the crown, was little, if at all injured; but the wig had drank pretty largely of the flood, and had to undergo first a wringing, and then a flapping process, ere it could with safety resume its former position. "This is no my Wig," muttered the somewhat confused and disconcerted Owner, having made due investigation, by means of his finger ends, into the altered nature of his well-known head-gear; "this canna be my wig, Angus!"-" An wha's wig may it be, than, think ye?" retorted Angus, hastily, and somewhat snappishly; "I wat weel there's nae wale oʻ wigs in the linns o' Bellybught."

track lay along the side of the linn, curving upwards or downwards, right or left, as necessity or convenience had originally dictated to the fleecy travellers. Beneath, the water strug gled onwards through narrow gullets, boiling caldrons, and pooly whirls, which had been distinguished in the shepherd's nomenclature by the descriptive appellations of "Grey mare's tails," "Devil's aprons," and "Gully spouts." Above, even up to the very "carry" of the clouds, and almost in a perpendicular ascent, there was no thing to be seen but broad and loose shingly stones, large waterworn or weathered rocks, with every here and there the recent scar of some extensive "shot brae," or " avalanche," which had rushed into the flood below, and entirely obliterated where it passed every trace of a pathway. Remaining on horseback in such a tick lish situation as this was entirely impracticable; so both Master and man alighted at the entrance of the cleugh, and commenced on foot their somewhat perilous advance. "This is an awfu' bit," said the worthy Patriarch, adjusting his hat and wig, so as to set a sudden squall, which came down di rectly a-head, at defiance; "and yet it was in this eery and fearsome place, Angus, that mony a godly and heart searching sermon has been preached, when there was nae pulpit but the 'gouk thorn,' an' nae shelter frae the driving drift but the scoug o' a bare craig."-" Tak' ye tent o' your beast, sir," rejoined the wary Menial, who was now employed in pulling and dragging, as if to the separation of the head from the shoulders, the recoiling chafts of the grey naig, up a kittle step. "Tak' tent o' Shadrach, that he dinna miss a fit, and coup the creels into the 'Covenanter's hole' there be low."-" I remember, Angus," continued the man of God, the concatenation of his ideas being nothing interrupted by this abrupt and alarming address, "I remember that it was here or hereabouts, for I have often heard him speak of the circumstance, that my worthy grandfather, the Gudeman of Hoalstane, was christened in the how, dumb, dead o' a caul' winter night, wi' water scouped out, in all likelihood, frae that very fearfu' pool, Angus." "-" And if ye dinna tak' better heed, baith you and Shadrach will be christened o'er again or it be lang; had ye the auld Naig, sir, an' I'll

The farm-stedding of "Caple-yetts" is situated, like many others of the same description, in what is considered a wild,-yet in a most lovely and sheltered spot. To those, into whose notions of interesting landscaping, trees and cultivated fields, and frequent cottages, and smoking villages, invariably enter, this sweet retirement would appear irksome, lonely, and forbidding; but, to the admirer of the freshness and the sublimity of unstained, unsubdued nature, the twin converging streams, at the confluence of which the farm-steading is placed-the green apron, of gentle declivity, which, after affording a croft for potatoes, and a yard for "curlies," still margins out on each side to the water's edge in native vers