frequency of pecuniary difficulties, or the magnitude of the undertaking, he determined to build another wing, capable of receiving other 400 orphans, with a view to the ultimate extension of this additional number to 700, or 1000 in the whole. The first donation received for this purpose was ten shillings! But, nothing discouraged, he persevered; and in May 1852, the building fund amounted to L.3530, 9s. 04d. The next year this amount had increased to L.12,531. In 1854, upwards of L.5000 was added to the fund; and in 1855, the sum in hand being L.23,059, 12s. 04d. -always the odd farthing-the new building was commenced, and is, at this present writing, on the point of being opened for the reception of the forlorn little beings for whose benefit it is designed. Whether the benevolent founder will be enabled to complete his self-imposed task, by the construction of the intended third building, time alone can determine. Let us hope so.

Muller seems to have been incited to his efforts by the success of a similar institution at Halle, in Prussia, founded in 1696 by A. H. Franke, professor of divinity. This is the largest charitable establishment for poor children in the world, containing 2000 inmates, and is in a flourishing condition. We will here let our author speak for himself:

'Franke is long since gone to his rest, but he spoke to my soul in 1826, and he is speaking to my soul now; and to his example I am greatly indebted in having been stirred up to care about poor children in general, and about poor orphans in particular. . . .

At the last census in 1851, there were, in England and Wales, thirty-nine orphan establishments, and the total number of orphans provided for through them amounted only to 3764; but at the time the New Orphan House was being built, there were about 6000 young orphans in the prisons of England. Does not this fact call aloud for an extension of orphan institutions? By God's help, I will do what I can to keep poor orphans from prison.'

The utter abnegation of self which pervades the work is remarkable and characteristic. What have I done,' he cries out in one place, that men should praise me? I have only sought to be used as the honoured instrument of saving young children, who have neither father nor mother, from sin and vice.' Truly, such men are in the world, but not of it.

6

Contributions appear to arrive from all parts of the globe, and from all kinds and conditions of men. Here are a few entries, for example: From negro brethren in Demerara, 12 dollars;' From an archdeacon, and one of the Queen's chaplains, 12 guineas;' 'From one of the orphans formerly under our care, a sovereign;' 'From Mount Lebanon, L.2, and from Orleans, five francs;' From an Israelitish gentleman, an entire stranger, L.5;' From a shepherd in Australia, who had read my narrative while tending his flock, 12s.' The amounts vary from a single farthing to thousands of pounds; and the receipt of a copper coin, or the presentation of a check for L.5000, is recorded in an uniformly grateful strain.

Nor is it to money alone that assistance is confined. One gentleman offers his services gratuitously as an architect, and another as a surgeon. Another gives glass for the three hundred windows of the new building, and others send jewellery and ornaments, silver spoons and tea-pots, watches, gold and silver, old coins and needlework-to be sold for the benefit of the institution. On one day, 'three autographs of William IV., two of Sir Robert Peel, and one of Lord Melbourne,' were received; and on another, 'a Coverdale Bible of 1535, perfected almost sheet by sheet.' Perhaps the most singular gift of this kind was, 'A silver medal, given to the donor for being engaged in the taking of Java; but, laying down his honour, he desires to have this medal used to lay a stone in the new

building.' Then there are donations of books, of coals, of provisions, and of clothes-old and new; donations, indeed, in almost every conceivable form. And in this manner, to sum up all in his own words, 'without any one having been personally applied to for anything, the sum of L.84,441, 6s. 34d. has been given to me for the orphans since the commencement of the work." And greatly has it been needed, for, in addition to the expense of purchasing land, and building and furnishing the asylum, the present average expense for each of the orphans is stated at L.12, 6s. 8d. per annum.

Not the least peculiar feature in the subscriptionlist is the absence of all personal publicity. Those who give to the New Orphan Asylum must do so from a pure and unmixed feeling of charity, for their names are carefully withheld; even their initials are rarely given; nor would any offer induce a departure from this rule.

No sectarian doctrines are taught in the schools, neither is any interest necessary to obtain admission for orphans. If they be deprived of father and mother, and in distress, that is sufficient passport to the large warm heart and helping-hand of George Muller. Long may his life be spared, and his labours blest!

PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MECHANICS'

INSTITUTES.

Ir is not many years since the upper classes of this country enjoyed exclusively, as if by prescription, the advantage of newspapers, periodicals, and books. In towns, even of a moderate size, they had their readingrooms and libraries; while their artificer brethren, when they would indulge in intellectual luxuries, were obliged to be satisfied-if indeed they had the luck to come into turn at all-with a ten minutes' glance at the one political paper of the tap-room. Times are now changed. Throughout a considerable portion of the country, even in places where the upper classes are not numerous enough to afford a news-room, the workingclasses-whose name is Legion everywhere-have their mechanics' institute; and this has not only its reading-room, but its educational classes, its lectures on interesting and important subjects, its concerts of music, and its enlivening soirées. Most of these institutions are self-supporting; but all are largely assisted by what used to be considered the antagonistic class, with contributions of money, gratuitous lectures, and gratuitous teaching. Even ladies assume the part of schoolmistresses-for there are female classes as well as male-and may be seen patiently assisting their humbler sisters in reading, writing, cutting out clothes, &c. Of what is this institution not susceptible? Already it has begun to add to its system pennybanks, which inculcate lessons, as good as any of the rest, to its juvenile members; and already access to higher than mechanical employments has been freely opened to such of the members as turn to best account the scholastic and practical teachings they enjoy.

The institution of examinations by the Society of Arts is certainly the most important event in the history of mechanics' institutes. The Society offers to test the acquirements of the pupils, and to bestow prizes on the most deserving, with certificates of progress which will be worth more to the possessors than any number of ordinary letters of recommendation. This fact will be understood when it is known that from four to five hundred of the leading firms have formally consented to receive these certificates as 'testimonials worthy of credit.' When this system comes to maturity by being responded to and aided by the institutes themselves, the jealous complaint will cease of clever but friendless young men, for the poorest youth in a well-doing village may look

upon the Society of Arts as a powerful friend, from whom he will receive a warm introduction to the first commercial and manufacturing houses in the kingdom.

There is another great advantage which has opened to the institutes-their banding together in a certain local union, which gives the poorest and most recent some share of the advantages of money and experience. The Yorkshire Union has just published its annual Report, which shews very clearly what may be done in this way. The Report itself is a history, carried on from year to year, of a certain number of institutes, and must be an admirable guide in the reformation of old and the formation of new ones. A delegate from each institute in the Union is sent to the annual meeting, and each institute furnishes its own Report for the period. The central committee gives advice, and, as far as possible, aid; it inquires into the merits of lecturers, and publishes the names of the paid and gratuitous; it sends its agent, when requested, to assist the local committees, and to deliver lectures; and finally, it lends books, in fifty volumes at a time, to institutes in need of the supply. Such advantages are obtained at a mere nominal fee: 5s. per annum when the members are 70 or under; 10s. when they are between that and 150; and 20s. when they exceed that number.

One interesting feature of the Union is the Itinerating Village Library, for the advantage of the inhabitants of villages where no mechanics' institute or local library exists. A subscriber to the library pays 1d. per week or 1s. per quarter in advance. Places where there are 25 subscribers have the use of 50 volumes, and for each additional 25 subscribers an additional 50 volumes. The history of this system, as given in the Report, seems to shew that a reading-room is essential to its full success. In three places, since the last Report, the result has been the establishment of independent libraries-the nuclei, probably, of institutes. The system exists also in Norfolk, where its operations were carried on last winter in forty parishes. Upwards of 3000 publications had been issued and circulated in the associated parishes, and the Report adduced instances of the anxiety of the labourers to read, or to have read to them, the contents of the society's book-cases. These cases are thirty-one in number; they circulate among a population of about 16,000, or three-fourths of the whole district.'

The number of institutes in the Yorkshire Union is 130, with 20,960 members. The annual income of 89 institutes is L.10,324. To shew the proportion of the sexes, we may add that in 100 institutes there are 17,387 males and 1112 females. Among the few complaints made in the Report is the falling off in the number of female members, amounting on the average to 14.6 last year, and 10 per cent. the year before. The following remarks are made on this subject in the Report from Ripon: To those who know anything of the domestic economy of our poor, it need not be said how much of its disorder, extravagance, and misery is owing to the want of proper training in early life. The daughters of the poor, sometimes from want of means, sometimes because the hard-working mothers with large families require their help at home, are taken from school at the very time when its restraints, discipline, and instruction are most likely to be beneficial. For the benefit of such, the ladies who work in our institute give their time and energies. On working evenings, they are in attendance to give instruction in cutting-out, making, mending, knitting, and whatever else in this department may be of use, as tending to the better ordering, comfort, and economy of the poor man's home. While the work is going on, an instructive book is read, remarks are made, and questions asked.'

The discouraging fact of the diminishing number of such pupils would seem, on the face of the Report, to be strangely at variance with another that an increase in the infinitesimal fees does not seem to affect, in general, the number of the male pupils: but both these facts seem to us to depend upon the same principle. The average subscription is three halfpence per week, which usually includes not merely the classes, but frequently the library, lecture, and newsroom. But what kind of education is it possible to give for this sum? In the sixty-seven best institutions of Yorkshire, we are told, 75 per cent. of the pupils were learning nothing more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. This, however small the outlay for each, was a bad speculation, for such acquisitions would hardly improve the learners' prospects; while, on the other hand, an increase to 4d. or 6d. per week would be considered prudently spent money, inasmuch as it would open out to them access to a chance of higher and more remunerative employment. As for the girls, of what pecuniary advantage is education of any kind to them? Why should not the mothers have their assistance at home, and save the half-pence their classes cost? These questions may be, to a partial extent, answered in domiciliary visits by the benevolent instructresses; but the practical solution will come before long of itself. The educated young men will not marry profoundly ignorant women, and the mothers will then see that it is an excellent speculation to leave their daughters for a reasonable time in the institute.

From a comparative table given in the Report, it is clear that lectures are not so popular a feature as they have been; and in the Reports of the affiliated institutes, the complaint is pretty general of the small attendance on such occasions. This seems to us to be owing to the subjects being very frequently too high-pitched. In the lists of lectures we find a great proportion that would do very well in the institutions of the gentry, but are quite out of place in the mechanics' institutes of small towns and villages. The taste of the institutes is shewn pretty clearly in the issues of books from the libraries. At Leeds, where the members are probably of a better class than usual, theology, philosophy and education, poetry and the drama, attracted, on an average, 1400 or 1500 readers; voyages and travels, 2300; fine arts and literature, 3000; history and biography, between 5000 and 6000; the exact sciences, chemistry and natural philosophy, a few hundreds; and fiction, 14,166. The amusing and the practically useful are the most popular subjects for the masses: the elegant, the learned, and the recherché fit audience find-though few.

The Reports of the affiliated institutes appended to the general Report of the Yorkshire Union, are exceedingly interesting. Some of these societies are shewn to be in a most flourishing state, while others are in the depths of misfortune, the committee only consoling themselves with the idea, that an energetic canvass of the place may give a turn to events. most frequent complaint, however, is of want of accommodation: this chokes the whole concern, keeping down even the classes, and is the more vexatious that the sum required to build a complete institute is only about L.500.

The

We have ourselves, however, no fear of the ultimate result. Our only difficulty is in imagining how far an institution of such capabilities is to go as a lever for elevating the lower masses of the people. The thirst of these lower masses for knowledge communicated in an attractive form may be guessed by a statistical statement on the subject of free libraries and museums read to the Association for the Promotion of Social Science by Mr David Chadwick of Salford. By this document we learn incidentally, that last year the total number of visitors of the British Museum was

361,000, while that of the Royal Free Museum of Salford was 580,000, and is expected this year to exceed 800,000. The cause of this extraordinary difference can only be, that the British Museum is closed at six o'clock in summer, while that of Salford is kept open till dusk: in other words, the difference between the numbers must be composed in great part of the working-classes.

notoriously treacherous and cruel, we found ample occupation in fishing alongside the ships, especially by torch-light, or in shooting the wild ducks and geese, which hourly swept overhead, bound to those inlandlakes reputed to be so abundant in Sumatra, and equally famous for the deadly miasma their vicinity emits. Even had we possessed the inclination, our time was limited; and before the expiration of a week, the small fleet had separated, and was scattered over

PRINCESS.

Nor many years ago, a severe attack of what is known in India as jungle-fever compelled me, at the suggestion of my medical advisers, to seek change of air and scenery, by visiting for a period that most delightful and hospitable of eastern islands, Pulo Penang.

Whilst there, I was so fortunate as to be the guest of a worthy Scotch merchant, a near relative of Viscount Strathallan; and, as he had frequent commercial intercourse with the least frequented ports on the west coast of Sumatra, I gladly availed myself of his offer to accompany him on a betel-nut collecting cruise along the Pedir coast.

The vessel we sailed in was his own, and in every way fitted out suitably for the cruise in question, which was one not unattended with danger. The people of Sumatra, especially those about the west coast, were notoriously treacherous, and by inclination and rearing, a horde of ruthless pirates-a blood-thirsty, reckless set, in whose hearts humanity had never yet found a lodging-place; consequently, we went well armed: the ship carried six guns, and an unusual complement of men, including ten Manilla gunners. We had three officers besides the captain, the supercargo, and myself, all armed with pistols and cutlasses; and last, though by no means least, a famous old dog, the gift of a Danish captain, a creature nearly as high as a moderate-sized calf, and the best and most faithful watch we could rely upon in times of danger. After the watches were set, and the eight o'clock grog and biscuits had been discussed, I should have liked to see the man that durst venture upon deck before Phaon had been duly warned, and coaxed into recognition. He would instantly have been extended upon his back on the deck, and have lain there, under the animal's powerful paws till the captain's or some other well-known voice interposed for his liberation.

With such means, offensive and defensive, a few cases of Spanish dollars, and a full cargo of Turkey red cloth, we sailed from Penang one evening towards sunset; and after encountering the usual provoking calms, so prevalent between that island and Diamond Point, eventually anchored off Achen Head-one of a rather considerable fleet of trading-vessels, principally English and Danish, which were there assembled for the purpose of sharing amicably among them the various points of the coast, so that the trading operations of one captain might not clash with the interests of another.

In the course of a few days the commodore of this betel-nut fleet-a veteran Dane, the oldest trader to Sumatra had appointed the vessels to the various trading-ports along the coast; and to us fell the lot of loading an intermediate cargo of rice, and carrying it to Penang; the supercargo in the meantime remaining upon the coast, bartering Turkey red for betel-nut, and warehousing the cargo in convenient sheds against

our return.

Of Achen itself, I have very little to say; an open and exposed roadstead, with a low uninviting coast, to reach which a formidable shoal had to be crossed, possessed but small attraction for the little floating colony of Europeans there assembled; and, in security from the risks to be incurred amongst a people

Achen Head. We ourselves anchored off a wretched village called Psatu Barra, so far from the land, that the natives brought off the rice in some of the largest proas, many of which were armed; all well equipped, and so dangerous, as to oblige us to permit only one boat to come alongside at a time, whilst a main-deck watch rigidly observed the movements of all the other boats hovering about us. The rice was measured over at the gangway; and at every tenth measure, its equivalent, either in Turkey red or dollars, was handed to the proprietor, who, seated upon the poop, smoked pipe after pipe of English tobacco, and drank brandy neat with as much apparent impunity as though it had been spring-water.

We worked day and night, for the moonlight favoured us, and in less than three days had completed our cargo. Not only the hold, but every available cabin had been stuffed full of rice in bulk; and the result of this glut in cargo had well-nigh proved our destruction. Just when midway between Sumatra and Penang, we were overtaken by one of those fearful squalls so prevalent off Diamond Point, and which come upon the unwary so unexpectedly as to endanger the safety of the vessel. Our captain was an old trader, but the great serenity of the night had, I am persuaded, lulled him into an unsuspicious nap. At all events, the first notification we had of the squall was the crash of the topmasts going over the side, and the simultaneous jerk of the vessel as she threw us out of our berths, and bent, gunwale under, to the force of the wind. The cabin light had been smashed to atoms; the binnacle swept over the side; the heavens were obscured by an impenetrable pall; and in the alarm and confusion of the moment, Buxo, the owner's Hindostanee servant, and myself, rushing from our respective berths towards the companion-ladder, were suddenly overtaken by, and completely hemmed in with, what in our alarm we supposed to be the sea making a clean breach over the vessel. Never was there a more ludicrous spectacle than we must have presented to the astonished Seacunny,* when he came below, horn-lantern in hand, to ascertain the amount of damage. The bulwarks of the side-cabins had given way under the pressure, and the whole volume of loose rice stowed therein had literally and de facto nailed Buxo and myself to the opposite side of the vessel-a dilemma from which we were liberated by the assistance of the lascars, as soon as they recovered from their convulsions of laughter.

After discharging our cargo of rice at Penang, we returned to the Pedir coast, and anchored off the town of Pedir itself, which was the chief city of that independent principality, then under the sway of a ranee or princess. Her highness, who had been previously apprised of our advent, had caused a considerable quantity of betel-nut to be warehoused in the immediate vicinity of her palace; and the day after our arrival, we were invited ashore to a friendly interview with the royal lady: at least, such was the intimation conveyed to us by an interpreter, a native, who at the same time hinted mysteriously, that we had better land well armed and prepared against treachery.

If truth must be told, not one amongst us relished

Manilla helmsman.

the honour conferred; for my own part, despite curiosity, I would have much preferred being left on board; but for mutual security, it was best that all of us that could be spared should leave the vessel; and with as many arms secreted about our person as we could conveniently carry, we left the ship's side, and pulled in towards the landing-place. The distance was considerable, so that there was no hope of succour from the vessel, should that be required. As we approached, our spirits did not rise at the prospect before us the boat had to be pushed over a very shallow bar, and we then entered a narrow river, whose banks were lined with luxuriant verdure, till a sudden bend shut out the view of the sea, and brought us into the presence of some forty or fifty half-naked savages, who were all armed with formidable Malay creeses, many of them also carrying spears. The loud shouting and capering of these ruffians seemed anything but conciliatory: however, the interpreter who accompanied us assured us that all was right, and we jumped ashore, determined at all hazards to sell our lives as dearly as possible.

Forming a kind of guard of honour, preceded by a drum and one or two ragged banners, this company escorted us into a dense, and apparently impenetrable brushwood, from which, however, we speedily emerged again, coming suddenly upon a wide clear space of ground, which had hitherto been entirely shut out from view, and in the centre of which rose a bamboo and mud stockade, containing the palace of the princess, and one or two smaller houses. The stockade had but one entrance-gate, and though it mounted six guns, was in so deplorable a condition, that the report alone of these cannon would have been almost sufficient to shake it to the ground. The palace was more substantially built, and consisted of a large bamboo and mat edifice, raised a considerable height off the ground, and supported upon the stumps of trees that had been evidently left there for the purpose when the rest of the forest was cleared away. Up a rickety old ladder our party climbed into the presence of royalty, and whilst her own subjects crouched on all-fours around, we were permitted to approach the musnud-which consisted of an empty rice-basket reversed-and to shake hands after English fashion.

Of the princess's personal appearance I have but little to say, save that she was portly, like most orientals who live well; whilst her garments consisted merely of a gold and silk tissue petticoat, with a loose shawl thrown over the shoulders. By her side was seated an extremely good-looking girl about fifteen years of age, who proved to be her only daughter. The floor of the apartment was liberally strewed with cocoa-nuts, yams, and a great variety of delicious fruits peculiar to these parts; there were also huge piles of betel-nut and the betel-leaf, from which the assembled native courtiers supplied themselves; whilst one man, who may have been the prime-minister, was continually occupied in pounding the ingredients in a little mortar, from which he supplied the princess, who, having lost a great many of her teeth, was thus saved the trouble of mastication. I need hardly say that, owing to this practice, and frequent expectorations, the floor was spotted like a leopard-skin.

We were welcomed with much courtesy, and feasted with fruits, rice-cakes, and the fresh milk of the cocoanut; then tobacco, rolled up in dry leaves, was handed round, and, princess and all, we fell a-smoking, and, through the medium of the interpreter, the palavering part of the business commenced. The princess undertook to supply us with a full cargo of betelnut-the greater portion of which had been already collected-and to take, as equivalent, certain pieces of Turkey red. These preliminaries being arranged, preparations for dinner were commenced on rather

a large scale. Immense quantities of rice were boiled in hollow bamboos; and from the screaming in the poultry-yard, we were convinced that great slaughter was going on there. The cookery was carried on down stairs under the immediate supervision of the princess's daughter, and in an incredibly short space a really sumptuous repast was served up on wooden platters. Some of the dishes were novel and tasty, consisting of chickens stewed in cocoa-nut milk, well seasoned with green chillies and onions; baked yams were also by no means contemptible. After partaking of this hospitality, we were escorted back to the boat, which we found deep laden with fruit, vegetables, and poultry, the gift of her highness the princess of Pedir.

After this interview, I visited the shore frequently, and though but slightly versed in the Malay tongue, managed to carry on trifling conversations. Emboldened by impunity, I often pushed my walks further perhaps than prudence might have dictated; but the younger of the princesses generally accompanied me upon these tours, and her presence alone was a sufficient guarantee for my safety. The girlish delight she evinced whenever I was fortunate enough to bring down some gaily plumaged bird with my gun, amply recompensed her for any fatigue or trouble. A few days prior to our departure, three of the Malay lascars deserted, and, having obtained the princess's permission to search for them in the environs of her domains, accompanied by a native guard, we penetrated far into the country, both on land and by water. On the river, the scenery was desolate and wild. Now and then, a huge rhinoceros would poke up his nose in unpleasant proximity to the boat; but, apparently more alarmed than ourselves, would as speedily retreat. Once, and only once, I caught sight of one beautiful bird of the bird of paradise species; the trees by the water-side teemed with animation, and I do not remember to have ever seen so great a variety of the monkey-tribe as were here, swinging from branch to branch.

On shore I found the generality of the houses constructed upon the same principle as the princess's palace-that is, elevated upon poles. The country seemed in a high state of cultivation, and each house had a well-stocked poultry-yard and kitchen-garden, upon the produce of which, and the abounding fruits, in addition to a large supply of rice, the people subsisted and throve.

A rather unexpected and ludicrous circumstance brought my visit to Pedir to a sudden close: the princess had set her heart upon retaining me on the island as the future husband of her only daughter, and to this intent offered my friends several boatloads of betel-nut as an equivalent. I am sorry to say that I was ungallant and unambitious enough to object to the intended honour, although, if I had known my own interest better, I might by this time have been a prince in my own right. The old lady, however, was exceedingly obstinate; and refusing to continue any further shipments until her demands had been complied with, we were compelled to go foraging at other ports; and very shortly afterwards, I bade a final adieu to the Pedir coast and my prospects of royalty.

KOUAN-FOU-YOUAN.

AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF A WIFE.
FROM THE CHINESE.

In the fifth watch of the first day of the year, when winter reigns in all his severity, my tender wife died. Is there on earth a man more unhappy than I? Oh, if thou wert still alive, I would give thee a new robe for the new year! But, alas, thou hast descended to the gloomy kingdom watered by the Yellow Fountain. Come to me in the middle of