bought myself a very good bonnet, it is really a very good bonnet, and I should like to wear it to-night; and if I put any thing shabby in the box, they will be looking up at my bonnet, and think I am not very consistent."

O let us take care that our love for Christ and his cause can abide this test! Let us not even seem to love ourselves better

than the souls of men!

MISSIONARIES.

THERE are hundreds of Missionaries in India, but not nearly enough for so many millions of people. The Hindoos call them Padri-Sahibs, which means, "Father-Gentlemen;" and they give them this name to show their love, as well as respect.

Once a Missionary, who had been long in India, was going back to England for a little while. It was from Calcutta that he set sail. The Christian Hindoos stood in crowds by the riverside to bid him farewell. Among the rest was a little girl with her parents. She was a gracious child, who had turned from idols to serve the living God. The Missionary said to her, "Well, my child, you know I am going to England. What shall I bring you from that country ?"

"I do not want any thing," she modestly replied. "I have my parents, and my brother, and the Padri Sahibs, and my books: what can I want more?"

"But," said the Missionary, "you are only a little girl, and surely you would like something from England. Shall I bring you some playthings?"

"No, thank you," said the child; "I do not want playthings. I am learning to read."

"Come, come," said the Missionary, "shall I bring you a playfellow, a white child from England ?"

"No, no," answered the little girl, "it would be taking her from her parents."

"Well, then," said her friend, "is there nothing I can bring you?"

"Well, if you are so kind as to insist on bringing me something, ask the Christians in England to send me a Bible-book, and more Padri Sahibs."

MIDNIGHT THOUGHTS AT SEA.

BY MRS. SIGOURNEY.

BORNE upon the ocean's foam,
Far from native land and home,
Midnight's curtain, dense with wrath,
Brooding o'er our venturous path,
While the mountain wave is rolling,
And the ship's bell faintly tolling;
Saviour! on the boisterous sea,
Bid us rest secure in thee.

Blast and surge, conflicting hoarse,
Sweep us on with headlong force,
And the bark, which tempests urge,
Moans and trembles at their scourge:
Yet, should wildest tempests swell,
Be thou near, and all is well.
Saviour! on the rolling sea,

Let us find repose in thee.

Hearts there are with love that burn,
When to us afar they turn;

Eyes that show the rushing tear,
If our utter'd names they hear;
Saviour! o'er the faithless main
Bring us to those homes again,
As the trembler, touch'd by thee,
Safely trod the treacherous sea.

Wrecks are darkly spread below,
Where with lonely keel we go;
Gentle brows and bosoms brave
Those abysses richly pave:
If beneath the briny deep

We, with them, should coldly sleep,
Saviour! o'er the 'whelming sea,
Take our ransom'd souls to thee.

OUR esteemed friend and Chairman, the Rev. Thomas Hodson, having kindly taken the accompanying sketch of the room in which our girls' school is taught, I will try to write you a little account of the school itself. The town in which we now reside is a very large one, and contains many hundreds of little black girls who have never learnt to read, and sew, and to employ themselves usefully and agreeably as you have been taught to do. We were very anxious that these poor children should enjoy those advantages, and also be directed into the way of peace; and therefore, about a month after we came here, namely, in March, 1853, we opened a little girls' school. At first we had only five girls, and had then a small school-room. We went on for two or three weeks, increasing a little, until we were visited with a tremendous storm, of which you may have seen an account in the "Missionary Notices." This dispersed the children for a few days, and when they returned we had them taught in our small verandah, that the school-room might afford shelter to two soldiers and their families, whose houses had been nearly destroyed by the storm. After our return to the school-room we found our number of girls increase so fast, that, in three months from the time of its commencement, we had ninety scholars. I shall not soon forget the

92

GIRLS' SCHOOL AT TRICHINOPOLY.

pleasure I used to feel in labouring amongst this interesting group of young people, which embraced every variety of age and size, from the little girl of five or six years old, to the young woman of sixteen or seventeen. Our school-room was not more than fourteen feet wide and twenty-eight long, and yet in that room, and a small verandah on each side of it, we had so to arrange as to be able to teach more than seventy girls. I had then only one old native woman, who knew no English, to assist me; and, struggle as we might, we felt that we could not do our duty to the children. I therefore wrote an account of our difficulties to the kind English ladies who reside here, and they subscribed so liberally as to enable us to procure two or three new Teachers, and a suit of new clothes, consisting of petticoat and jacket for each of the poor girls. You cannot think how much we were rejoiced when we received this timely aid. We got the best Teachers we were able to procure in the neighbourhood, and we soon found the children improving in all their studies. One only remaining difficulty seemed to be the want of a larger school-room. This want we were enabled, in a few months, to supply, by erecting the room of which the accompanying sketch is a good representation. It is a most comfortable place, being light and airy; the latter quality is of great importance in this hot climate. It has brick walls, as you will see, a tolerable height, with brick pillars carried up to support the roof. This is made of strong bamboos and palmyra wood, and is covered with the dried leaf of the cocoa-nut tree. The space between the pillars is filled up with a light trelliswork of split bamboos, which serves the purpose of windows. We have doors at each end, and the whole cost about £7. From the many removals which are continually taking place here, the school has varied very much in numbers; but we have now every day between forty and fifty children, who are taught to read and write in Tamul, to sew, knit, &c. Some of them have learned a little English; and we hope during the present year to give them further instruction in the language, as it will be of use to them.

We regret that this school has not accomplished all the good we could have wished; but we trust it has done something towards improving the minds and characters of the scholars. Many poor children have been taught to read, and have learnt something of the way of salvation, who, probably, would otherwise have remained in utter ignorance. We beg you, my dear young friends, to pray much for us; earnestly entreat that the

LETTER FROM MR. TINDALL, SOUTH AFRICA. 93

Holy Spirit, without whom nothing is good, or wise, or strong, may second our humble efforts to promote his glory. We need all your zeal, your liberality, your sympathy; but we most of all need your prayers.

Trichinopoly, March 22d, 1855.

Rachel Pinkney.

LETTER FROM MR. TINDALL, SOUTH AFRICA. (Continued from page 79.)

BUT to return to our journey. We proceeded on our way: the road led us about four miles along the banks of the river, and at the ford or drift, where it is finally left to cross the plain to Hoole's Fountain, we halted to rest during the heat of the day. The scenery there was rich and diversified. The clusters of bare rocky hills presented a striking contrast to the verdure of the surrounding valleys and ridges, which ran several miles back up to the base of a table-range of mountains, whose sides and summit were elegantly fringed with the koker-tree. Here we found a small village of half-castes, with whom we held a religious service. We travelled during the afternoon and evening of that day, and part of the following forenoon, and then arrived at the place of our destination, Hoole's Fountain.

THE WELCOME.

The people and their children all came out of their huts to witness our approach, and to welcome us to their place. We were soon located under one of the wide-spreading camel-thorn trees, and a couple of mat huts were erected by the women for our accommodation. In the afternoon, we marked out the ground for the foundation of the proposed building, and made every preparation to commence in earnest on the following Monday. The Sabbath was taken up with the services of the sanctuary. Our sanctuary was not one made with hands, but was formed by the shelter of a majestic camel-thorn tree, which had been growing for generations. Although we were not seated within the monuments of human skill and art, yet we could say with the patriarch of old, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Our congregation was most interesting and attentive. Almost all, except the younger children and the servants, were neatly clad in European clothing. Some, it is true,