India, says: "I performed many long journeys upon an elephant, and whenever I wished to make a sketch, the docile* creature would stand perfectly still till my drawing was finished. If at any time I wished ripe mango-fruit which was growing out of my reach, he would select the most fruitful branch, break it off, and offer it to ine with his trunk.

Sometimes I gave him some of the fruit for himself, and he would thank me by raising his trunk three times over his head, making a gentle murmuring noise as he did so. When branches of trees came in my way, he broke them off at once, twisting his trunk round them; but he often broke off a leafy bough for himself, and used it as a fan to keep off the flies, waving it to and fro with his trunk. When I was at breakfast in the morning, he always came to the tent door to be cheered by my praise and caresses, and to receive fruit and sugar-candy."

QUESTIONS.-How was the elephant forced to venture on the bridge? How had he shown that he suspected something? What happened when he went on it? What befell the driver? and the elephant?-What did another elephant do when his master wished to make a sketch? or to get mango-fruit? What did he do when he got some of the fruit? What use did he sometimes make of a leafy bough?

RALEIGH'S TWO PLANTS.

By de-grees', bit by bit.

Dead-ly night-shade, a poisonous
plant.

Del-uged, covered completely.
Ex-plain', make him understand.

*

Per-fec ́tion, as good as it could be made.

Poi-son-ous, causing death.

Reign, the time a king or queen is on

the throne.

IN the reign of Queen Elizabeth, two plants were brought to England, for the first time, by Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which are now very much used— the tobacco-plant and the potato. Sir Walter had sailed across the seas to America, in search of new lands; and he brought back both these plants with him.

When he was in America, he had seen the Indians smoke, and before long he acquired the habit himself. He became extremely fond of smoking, and frequently indulged in the practice.

When he returned to England, he was sitting by the fire one day, and began to smoke. In the middle of his smoking, the door opened, and in came his man-servant. Now, this man had never in his life seen any one smoke, and did not know that there was such a plant as tobacco. So, when he saw the smoke coming from his master's mouth, he thought that he was on fire! He cried out in alarm, and ran to fetch a bucket of water to put the fire out; and Sir Walter was deluged* before he had time to explain what he was really doing.

But very soon the old servant got used to seeing people with smoke coming out of their mouths; and all the young nobles of the court began to smoke because Sir Walter did so.

At first, people did nobody would eat it. how useful it would be. be made to grow in England. when the corn-harvest failed--which it often used to do people need not starve if they had plenty of potatoes.

not like the potato at all:
Yet Sir Walter told them
The potato, he said, could
He told them that,

Queen Elizabeth, who was a very clever woman, listened to what Sir Walter said, and had potatoes served up at her own table. There the grand people who dined with her majesty were obliged to eat them. But they spread a report that the potato was poisonous,* because it belongs to the same order as the deadly nightshade and many other poisonous* plants. So, in spite of all that the Queen

THE POTATO PLANT.

could do, no one would eat potatoes, and they were left for the pigs.

The people did not find out their mistake till many years afterwards. The poor potato was despised and forgotten till the reign of the French king Louis XVI., when there lived a Frenchman who had made a study of growing plants for food. He felt sure that he could make the potato a great blessing to the country; and he began at once to try.

After a great deal of trouble he succeeded. People laughed at him at first, and would not take any notice of what he said. But he went on growing the potato till he brought it to perfection." Even then no one would have eaten it, if its part had not been taken by the king. He had large pieces

of ground planted with potatoes, and went about with the flower of the potato in his button-hole.

No one dared to laugh at the king; and when be said that potatoes were to be eaten, people began to find out how good and wholesome they were. By* degrees the potato was more and more liked; and now there is hardly any vegetable that is more highly esteemed.

QUESTIONS. What were the two plants which Raleigh brought to England? Where did he bring them from? What did his servant think when he saw him smoking? What did he do? When did Raleigh say the potato would be most useful? Where were the grand people obliged to eat potatoes? What report did they spread about them? For what were they then left? Who showed people their mistake? What French king took the part of the potato?

He who grasps too much, holds.
He that.

He that can.
The worst.

till he is sick, must. . . . till he is well.
well afoot. . . . . a good horse.

of the cart makes the most . . . . .

If you wish to have the fruit, you must learn to.

the....