POETRY. 'Tis here the folly of the wise,- Bound on a voyage of awful length, But ours alone can ne'er prevail, To reach the distant coast; The breath of Heaven must swell the sail, THE DYING CHRISTIAN. YE objects of sense and enjoyments of time, I soon shall exchange you for scenes more sublime, Thou Lord of the day, and Queen of the night, I soon shall behold with increasing delight, Ye wonderful orbs that astonish mine eyes, I soon shall contemplate more beautiful skies, 359 Ye mountains and valleys, groves, rivers, and plains ; Thou earth, and thou ocean, adieu! More permanent mansions, where righteousness reigns, My lov'd habitation, and garden, adieu ! A mansion celestial stands full in my view, My weeping relations, and brethren, and friends, Adieu for the present; my spirit ascends My cares and my labours, my sickness, my pain, The summit of bliss I shall speedily gain, The height of perfection ascend. The sight of transgressors shall grieve me no more, 'Midst foes I no longer abide; My conflict with sin and with sinners are o'er, The vale of affliction my footsteps here trod, No lurking temptations, defilement, or fear, In JEsU's full image I soon shall appear, My Sabbaths below, ye have been my delight, And thou, the blest Volume divine; Ye have guided my footsteps, like stars during night, The Sun that illumines the region of light But O how transcendently glorious the sight! Thou tottering seat of disease and of pain, But I shall behold and possess thee again, A beautiful " building of God." Come, Death! when thy cold hands my eye-lids shall close, And lay my pale corpse in the tomb; My soul shall enjoy an eternal repose, Above in my heavenly home. But O! what a life, what a rest, what a joy, Praise, praise shall my triumphing powers employ! Come, come, my REDEEMER! this moment release Printed by T. Cordeux, 14, City-Road, Loudon, THE YOUTH'S INSTRUCTER AND GUARDIAN. No. 71.] NOVEMBER, 1822. [VOL. VI. ACCOUNT OF A MERMAID, Said to be caught on the North Coast of China, and now arrived in London. (WITH A WOOD-CUT.) THE following curious account of a Mermaid has been lately given to the public in an extract of a letter from the REV. DR. PHILIP, Representative of the London Missionary Society, at Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, dated April 28, 1822: "I have to-day seen a Mermaid, now exhibiting in this town. I have always treated the existence of this creature as fabulous ; but my scepticism is at length removed. As it is probable no description of this extraordinary creature has yet reached England, the following particulars respecting it may gratify your curiosity and amuse you.-The head is almost the size of that of a baboon. It is thinly covered with black hair, hanging down, and not inclined to frizzle. On the upper lip and on the chin there are a few hairs, resembling those upon the head. The cheek-bones are prominent. The forehead is low; but except in this particular, the features are much better proportioned, and bear a more decided resemblance to the human countenance, than those of any of the baboon tribes. The head is turned back, and the countenance has an expression of terror, which gives it an appearance of a caricature of the human face; but I am disposed to think that both these circumstances are accidental, and have arisen VOL. VI. 2 I |