Roman gentleman, and then went in to dinner with a cheerful face.

Flames came down from the mountain, nearer and nearer, as the night drew on; but Pliny persuaded his friend that they were only fires in some villages from which the peasants had fled; and then went to bed and slept soundly.

However, in the middle of the night, they found the courtyard being fast filled with cinders, and, if they had not woke up the admiral in time, he would never have been able to get out of the house. The earthquake shocks grew stronger and fiercer, till the house was ready to fall; and Pliny, and his friend, and the sailors, and the slaves, all fled into the open fields, amid a shower of stones and cinders, tying pillows over their heads to prevent their being beaten down.

The day had come by this time, but not the dawn; for it was still pitch dark as night. They went down to their boats upon the shore, but the sea raged so horribly, that there was no getting on board of them.

But

Then Pliny grew tired, and made his men spread a sail for him, and lay down on it. there came down upon them a rush of flames, and a horrible smell of sulphur, and all ran for their lives. Some of the slaves tried to help the admiral upon his legs, but he sank down again, overpowered with the brimstone fumes, and so was left behind to die.

But what was going on in the meantime? Under clouds of ashes, cinders, mud, lava, two of these happy cities were buried at once-Herculaneum and Pompeii. They were buried just as the people had fled from them, leaving the furniture and the earthenware, even often jewels and gold behind, and here and there among them a human being who had not had time to escape from the dreadful deluge of dust.

The ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii have been dug into since; and the paintings are found upon the walls still fresh, preserved from the air by the ashes which have covered them in.

CHARLES KINGSLEY.

Vesuvius, a burning mountain in Italy, behind the lovely Bay of Naples.

Crater. The cup-like hollow found on the summit of all volcanoes. The word means simply a cup, or goblet. The sea ebbed out, &c.-This is a common characteristic of earthquakes. The upheaving of the land causes the sea to recede, only to return with ten-fold force. In the great earthquake of Lisbon, the return wave of the sea did more damage than the earthquake itself.

QUESTIONS:-1. Where is Mount Vesuvius? 2. What cities lay at its foot? 3. What is a "paradise"? 4. What is the crater of a burning mountain? why so named? 5. What is meant by the letters A.D.? 6. Describe the appearance of the cloud over Vesuvius? 7. What is a cutter"? 8. What is meant by the "ebb-tide"? 9. What was the cause of Pliny's death? 10. What has been discovered in recent times in Pompeii and Herculaneum?

66

DISUNION had long been the bane of the British

interests, and this was perceived at length even by

the turbulent chiefs themselves, who all agreed to place their forces under the command of Caractacus. The Roman general, to whom the British prince found himself opposed, was one whose valour was equalled by his prudence and knowledge of military affairs.

Prince Caractacus, upon the subjugation of his own tribe, found willing soldiers among other tribes, and was enabled to sustain many actions with the Romans, some successful, some doubtful -and in so unequal a contest to avoid defeat was as glorious as victory-which raised his name high among the Britons, and gained for him a celebrity even in Rome itself. His well-tried valour was acknowledged by his countrymen, and his presence among them, hailed with enthusiasm, gave confidence to all.

It was the policy of Caractacus to lead the war into such districts as were most favourable to his own purposes; and his perfect knowledge of the country, its resources, and the dispositions of its inhabitants enabled him to do this with an effect that completely baffled all the combinations of the Romans, and for some time held the result of the struggle doubtful, even to their most sanguine commanders.

A strong line of posts had been established between the rivers Nene and Severn; these it was essential to force; and, after many attacks, which it had demanded all the power and readiness of

the Romans to repel, Caractacus resolved on one mighty effort, on the result of which he saw that the very existence of his army must depend. Visiting every part of his force, he reminded them of the courage invariably displayed by their forefathers, and exhorted them to show that they were the worthy sons of such men. He described the glories of victory and the miseries of defeat with equal eloquence, and did not conceal from his people that the freedom or slavery of their country was to be decided by their deeds that day. Thus incited, the Britons fought with a desperate courage; but the superior arms, more refined mastery of warlike detail, and inexhaustible riches of resource possessed by Rome prevailed. The troops of Caractacus were defeated-his brothers surrendered themselves to the enemy, into whose hands his wife and daughter also fell-himself escaping with great difficulty, and incited to the effort only by the desire of reserving himself for further struggles in behalf of his country.

Buoyed up by this hope, the defeated general took refuge with the queen of a neighbouring tribe; but this faithless woman betrayed him, and he was led prisoner to Rome. Here the contrast between the dejected and terror-stricken looks of his captives from other lands, and the noble bearing of the British prince, is described by the Roman writers of the day as moving the Emperor Claudius in his favour.