1834.] 417 THE VILLAGE WEDDING. Stranger.-CAN you tell me any thing of these young people whose wedding has excited such a stir in your village? You said, just now, that they deserve the blessings of their neighbours. Cottager.-If you will sit down, Sir, in this plain seat, which my wife always keeps clean and tidy for strangers, who have a curiosity to walk round our garden, which they are pleased to call the prettiest in the parish, I will tell you something about them. William and Mary are both young, but not too young to settle and begin the serious cares of life. They are past four and twenty. They are industrious, and have saved a little money to begin the world with. Above all, they have the fear of God before their eyes. I remember, well, that when our minister opened a Sunday School in that pretty schoolroom, all covered with the rose trees, which I helped to plant, William and Mary were amongst the first scholars. There they remained for several good years. Mary was one of the best girls in her class, and soon got to the top. But she never showed any airs on account of her learning, for every body knew that she went to school because she loved it; and she loved it because of the good she got there. In the week she was employed from morning till night in one of the neighbouring factories-places of great temptation to the young--but we ought to be thankful for the employment they afford. Here she was diligent at her work; but, at every minute she got out of working time, she caught at her books, and while she stood at the reels, or the looms, she thought over what she had learnt by heart, or cheered her labour by singing some of her sweet hymns. William was not quite so quick at learning, and for some time he gave his teacher a mighty deal of trouble. But at last he was won over by perseverance and kindness, and gave up all his bad tricks. This was partly owing to Mary. He was employed in the same factory, and, as they often walked home together, he would protect her from the rudeness of other boys, and she would talk to him about their lessons, till he felt ashamed to be behind a girl in knowledge, and determined to get up and keep up with her. He did so, and I have heard him say, that, although his first motive to learn was envy of Mary, and shame to be behind her, yet he afterwards loved his school, and his teacher, and his Bible, for better reasons. When they were about sixteen, the bishop held his usual confirmation, and they went among the rest. Our minister took much pains with all the young people on these occasions, and was careful not to let any go, but those who, he thought, knew what they were about. He often talked with them, and explained the nature of confirmation, and entreated them not go and "lie unto God," if they did not mean to keep their promises. From that time William and Mary became more and more serious, and they were as happy as they were steady. Nobody now saw them, or heard of their being at a revel, or any other of those places, where sin and Satan rule the day. They loved the company of those who delighted in the ways of God, and if they looked more cheerful on one day than on another, it was on the Sabbath, for they called it their "delight, the holy of the Lord 1." After a year, or rather less, we saw them both come to the Lord's table, and those who were near them said that they saw them shed tears on the communion rail, when they took the bread and wine. I dare say there was as much joy as sorrow in those tears, for they evidently loved their Saviour, and were at once humbled and thankful at the recollection that he had shed his precious blood for them. Just at that time they were admitted as teachers in the Sunday School, where they had so long been scholars: and none took greater pleasure in their work than they did. Having been thus so much together, it was no wonder that they began to love one another. Still engaged in the same employments, and having been united in so many interesting duties and privileges, there were times when they thought that it might be, that Divine Providence intended them for each other. Prudence and piety were seen in all their intercourse with one another. In the hours, when they were not engaged in the factory, 1 Isaiah lviii. 13. 1834.] FRUIT TREES. 419 they industriously followed some useful pursuit, which might fit them for domestic life. William was careful to pick up a little knowledge of gardening and carpentering, and such other things as might be afterwards of use to him, should his factory-work fail. Mary became a good knitter; was handy at her needle, so as to be able to make her own clothes; and helped to keep her father's cottage as neat as any in the village. I said before, they saved a little money, and, as opportunity offered, bought themselves a few pieces of plain good furniture. Besides this, they put into a club, which our minister set up,—one for men and another for women-where nothing is spent except in the proper way. At last, every body longed to see them married, and it was very pleasant to see how the business was managed. William took a small cottage, with a good garden to it, and the squire made him a present of a pig. The boys of his class came and helped him to put the garden in order. Mary, too, had her little helps from some kind ladies in the village, and her class of girls, we are told, yesterday brought her some little presents of their own working. One had made her a little holder, another a pincushion, and a third a needle and thread case. All testified their love and good wishes in some useful and cheap articles. Our minister promised them a new large Bible. Indeed, he has promised such a present to all who marry out of his schools in a manner to please him. This present he gave them at the altar to-day, after their marriage, and William carried it away under his arm, wrapped up in a clean handkerchief. I wish them happy, Sir, with all my heart; and I am sure you will too, if I have not tired you with this long story.-From" The Village." FRUIT TREES. PEARS and cherries will do well in about twenty inches of soil, on a bed of stones and gravel. Plums and apples want two feet; vines two and a half feet, on a bed of stones, eight or ten inches deep; figs eighteen inches. In making new, or renewing old borders, some difference should be made in the soil (if convenient) for different sorts of trees. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and vines, one-half of good top-spit loam, a little more than one-fourth part of well rotted dung, and another onefourth of road scrapings and vegetable mould, well mixed together. Pears and apples three-fourths of loam, onefourth of road scrapings and vegetable mould well mixed. Cherries, a fresh hazel loam, with a little well-rotted dung. Figs, a rich pliable loam. When wall-trees are declining, and fail to produce, they should be removed, and others planted. Stones are of great importance at the bottom of fruit trees. They take off the superfluous moisture in wet weather, and retain moisture in time of drought. The fruit is also better flavoured, when the tree grows on a dry bottom. In renewing borders, if much exhausted, a good portion of well-rotted dung, with fresh loam and road-scrapings, will be wanted. If not much exhausted, the greatest portion of loam, with a little dung and road-scrapings. It is a mistake to make fruit borders very rich. If there is any bad soil in the old border, clay, gravel, &c. remove it.-See Art. by Mr. Denyer, Horticultural Register, Aug. 1834. p. 339, 340. (From a Correspondent.) HYMNS, BY DR. HINDS. "Lord, teach us to pray." SOMETHING whispers within me that all is not right, WRITTEN IN A BIBLE, A PRESENT TO A GOD-CHILD. God gave the boon he sought; Ask, thou, my child, a better boon, Nor think thy morn of life too soon, Pray for what passeth human skill, Read thou, that thou may'st do his will, 1834.] THE RAPIDS OF THE COPPERMINE RIVER. And what, if much be still unknown? Thy Lord wilt teach thee that, When thou shalt stand before His throne, Or sit, as Mary sat. THE RAPIDS OF THE COPPERMINE RIVER. 421 THE Coppermine River, in the high latitudes of North America, is thus described:-" The travellers, Captain Franklin and his party, descended two strong rapids, at the foot of which they found the river about 200 yards wide, and ten feet deep; the scenery of its banks was very rich and beautiful, having well-wooded hills shelving to the water side. The latitude was then 66° 45' north, longitude 115° 42′ west. They proceeded down the river to the sea; the river became a succession of rapids; but, as the water was deep, they passed through them without being obliged to leave their boats, or unload any of the cargoes. One of these rapids was peculiarly dangerous, where the river appeared to have cut its narrow crooked channel through a hill between 500 and 600 feet high. The body of water pent up within this narrow 1 365 degrees (marked thus, 365°,) make the circumference of the earth. A degree is divided into 60 parts, called minutes, marked with one line thus, ('); and a minute is divided into 60 seconds, marked with two lines thus, ("); so that 24 degrees, 45 minutes, and 24 seconds, would be written 24° 45' 24". |