26

SOMETHING ABOUT CANTON.

that are seen continually passing these depots are truly astonish

ing.

There are beggars everywhere, and Canton has its share of them. One company of them is known by the name of "The Heavenly Flower Company," a pretty name, truly, for a troop of long-tailed beggars! Not only is the city of Canton crowded with human beings, but there are thousands and tens of thousands of people who live on the river in boats of all kinds. The "Boat Town," as it is called, on the river at Canton, is an object of great curiosity. Eighty thousand huts floating on the water cannot be seen without wonder; they are inhabited, in a great degree, by people who are very poor and wretched, and many of them very wicked.

There are a great many duck-boats on the Canton river; these are boats where ducks' eggs are hatched by the heat of ovens in amazing quantities. These boats lie near some island, of which there are a great many in the river, so that the ducks go ashore in the day-time to seek for food. Fancy eight hundred or a thousand ducks running about for chow-chow, or food, on one of the islands. No sooner does the sun set, than, at the sound of a small whistle, the ducks come waddling along, as if the hindmost had something to fear; they make the best of their way to the water's edge, to a board that is let down from the bow of the boat to the shore; up they go on this board into the boat with the regularity of soldiers, waddling and quacking with all their might.

Canton is famous for its manufactures and merchandise, and the people are very clever shopkeepers. These shopkeepers can puff their goods as well as the people of other nations. What think you of the following translation of an ink-maker's shopbill?

"At the shop Tae-shing, (prosperous in the extreme,) very good ink; fine! fine! Ancient shop: great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and self make this ink; fine and hard; very hard; picked with care, selected with attention. I sell very good ink; prime cost is very. This ink is heavy, so is gold; the eye of the dragon glitters and dazzles, so does this ink: no one makes like it. Others who make ink, make it for the sake of accumulating base coin, and cheat, while I make it only for a name. Plenty of A-kwan-tsaes (gentlemen) know my ink. My family never cheated; they have always borne a good name.

I make ink for

A HERO OF THE CROSS.

27

the 'Son of Heaven,' and all the Mandarins in the empire. As the roar of the tiger extends to every place, so does the fame of the dragon's jewel (meaning his ink). Come all A-kwan-tsaes, come to my shop, and see the sign Tae-shing at the side of the door. It is in Seaoushwuy-street, (Small-water-street,) outside the South Gate."

There were Five Wesleyan Missionaries living in Canton; a small number when we think of the tens of thousands of people that inhabit the city and neighbourhood; and they have all been obliged to go away because of the war. They have all left Canton, and are gone to Macao. Let us pray that the fighting may soon cease, that they may return and continue their efforts to teach these poor Heathen Chinese Christianity.

A HERO OF THE CROSS.

THE LATE REV. JAMES HORNE.

(Continued from page 17.)

MR. HORNE's faithfulness ran through all his intercourse with others, both in the church and the world. Like everything else in him, it aimed ever at the glory of God and the good of souls. He did not find fault for the sake of doing it; but where there was remissness in Christian duty, or sin against God, the fear of man never kept him from speaking out.

I remember one instance of this, which made a deep impression on my mind, from the circumstances attending it. I was just recovering from a severe attack of fever, during which Mr. Horne had nursed me as if I had been his own child, and his gentle, affectionate daughter had attended upon me day and night at the risk of her own life. The fever was taking its leave, as it often does in the West Indies, by daily shakes of ague. I was in one of these when the doctor called, and said, "It is hard-hearted like to ask you, but do, as soon as you can walk, go over to the Mission-house, and give Mr. Horne a table spoonful of that medicine I have left on the table, every half-hour. They are all down in fever, he is quite delirious, and his life depends on his getting that medicine regularly." You may be sure, my dear children, I lost no time when the ague left me. I could just sit by him, and give him his medicine, and listen to his incessant talk; but I shall never

28

A HERO OF THE CROSS.

forget it. My heart was like a field, deeply ploughed and moist. ened by spring showers, just ready for the Gospel seed; and O the weighty words which dropped from his lips that day, even amid the ravings of delirium! He first discussed the prophecies, then he gave me a sweet exposition of Isaiah xxvi. 3, and then he opened out on some one whose name he did not mention, and of whose reality I am still in doubt, in language most touching, pointed, and faithful. "How could you," he said, "sail with an ungodly crew all the way to Canada, and make no effort for their salvation? Had you no zeal for your Master's honour, no wish e a witness for Jesus, no pity for those poor ignorant souls, no fear of their reproaches when they shall meet you at the bar of God? O, my brother, to lose such an opportunity for ever, for ever! You will never meet them again on earth. It is not likely; and you never warned them! Ah, you could not have been living near to God, or you could not have done so.

"

It may seem foolish to fill a page with the ravings of a feverish brain; but his words, repeated again and again, made a lasting impression on my mind, and have often sent me back to reprove sin, or try to speak a word for God, when sinful nature would have shrunk away. Though both the doctor and myself got our character each time the nauseous medicine had to be taken, I would not willingly have lost the benefit of that day's instructions. It was quite in keeping, too, with what we heard from him often in the days of health. I could tell you something he said to me once; but you know it is not pleasant to tell one's own faults to every body. I hope it did me good, though, and I blessed him for his kind reproof. One day I heard him speak to one who had been expelled from the Society for improper conduct; and, hardened as was that stout-hearted sinner, who had worn a hypocrite's cloak for a long time, he quailed and trembled before the man of God. When Mr. Horne saw that, his own loving heart melted at once; he changed his strain, and, with the tenderest affection, invited him to return again to that God who multiplies pardons; yea, to go

"To Christ's bleeding feet, and learn

How freely Jesus can forgive."

(To be continued.)

DOING IS BETTER THAN SAYING.

A FARMER in a country Circuit had a Missionary Meeting in his house. The Meeting was good, the collection liberal for the numbers; but some who had been expected from the markettown were absent. The following market-day, the farmer's son met one of the absentees, who made an apology for his absence, and at the same time took a two-shilling piece from his pocket and said, "May be it won't be too late to put that to the collection." The young farmer thanked him, and went on. He soon met another who had also been expected, and he, too, began to express his regret, and was going to make a long apology; but his friend stopped him, with, "Look ye here, lad, I have an apology worth two of thine, see," and he held up the two-shilling piece. "That is it, is it ?" said the other, smiling, and producing another to go with it. "Go thou and do likewise." One

work is worth a whole dictionary of words.

"Give, give, be always giving,

Who gives not, is not living."

TIT FOR TAT.

"WELL, Tommy, my lad," said a master to his apprentice, "have you been with your collecting-card ?" "No, Sir." "Well, you can take an hour; and, I say, go first to Mr. give him my compliments, and tell him, as he is a respectable shopkeeper, he must give you half-a-crown." Off went the lad, and delivered his message. "Has your master given you any thing?" said Mr. "No, Sir." "Well, go back to your master, and tell him, with my compliments, if he will give you half-a-crown, I will give you five shillings." The Collector went back to his master, who readily gave him half-a-crown; when he returned to the shopkeeper, and got the five shillings. Was not that a good beginning to his collecting-card? As both the master and the shopkeeper are warm friends of the Mission cause, this reminds us of the Apostle's precept, "Provoke one another to love and to good works."