common way, it is nearly as easy to have flowers of a good sort as of a bad one. Some persons, who do not understand the matter, will have perhaps a common shabby sort of single Hollyhock, and this will shed its seed around, and there will come up a number of exactly the same sort; and perhaps, hav ing more plants than he wants, he gives his neigh bour a few; and thus, in time, a whole village gets filled with exactly the same dull sort of flower. Whereas, if people were to try to get a good sort, and a few different varieties, (which they might soon do by making exchanges among one another,) then a village becomes beautifully ornamented with a delightful mixture of colours. Nothing can be prettier than to pass through a village where the cottage gar dens are filled with Roses and Honeysuckles, and various sorts of flowers; and it has often been remarked, that, when the outside of a house is ornamented with flowers, the inside is generally neat and tidy and, when home is pleasant and agreeable, there is less temptation to leave it.

Few flowers are prettier in a garden than Pinks, and they are very easily propagated. A root, taken up when the plant has done flowering, will divide into a great many plants, and they will be of a better size, and much prettier, than when in one single old large plant. But, in this way, you only get one sort: it is better then to make exchanges with neighbours, and thus to get a variety.

The slips of pinks, or what they call pipings, the side-shoots pinched off at a joint, will grow with little difficulty, if planted about the time when the plantis in flower. If watered, and covered with a handglass, scarcely any of them will fail; and, even without a hand-glass, if planted in a shady place, and kept moist, several of them will grow. When they have taken good root they may be transplanted into different parts of the garden,or into a pot. Clove Pinks and Carnations will grow from pipings, but it is

safer to take layers. This is very easily managed, by slitting the shoot upwards, through a joint, with out separating it from the plant; then peg it down in the ground, and it will presently take root; when it may be cut off from the parent stem, and planted wherever you please. It is better to see this once done by a skilful person, and there will then be no difficulty. Try to get good sorts, and make exchanges, and you will soon get a beautiful variety. This operation should be performed when, the Carnation is in flower. The very choice sorts require great care, but most of the common kinds are hardy. By taking fresh layers every year, you are much more likely to keep the sort in perfection, than by letting the old root continue in the same place.

V.

SELECTIONS FROM DIFFERENT AUTHORS.

Ir is vanity to wish that life may be long, and to have no concern whether it be good.

Thomas à Kempis. He who lives in subjection to the sensual desires of animal nature, defiles his spirit, and loses the grace of God. The same. Every man naturally desires to increase in knowledge; but what doth knowledge profit, without the Fear of God? The same.

.. Blindness, in spiritnal things, is the just and natural punishment of a carnal life. Bp. Wilson.

Blessed are they that mourn ;that is, who are troubled at every thing that they believe displeaseth God. The same.

By Baptism, we contract, and oblige ourselves, all our life long, to complete, and perfect, the image

of Jesus Christ.

The same..

The grand secret to prevent bad thoughts is em-,

ployment. An empty house is every body's property. All the vagrants in the county will take up their quarters in it. Always therefore have something to do, and you will always have something to think of. Bp. Horne.

I once thought that the whole of religion consisted in its practice, and that our feelings about it were often delusive, and did full as much harm as good. And I still think that our feelings may deceive us; and, if we trust to our feelings, and neglect our practice, we shall be most grossly deceived. And it is sadly to be feared that there are many men who think that living feelings are enough; and who neglect "the weightier matters of the law-judg ment, mercy, and truth."-But, because they are wrong it does not follow that all our feelings are wrong. Indeed there can be no religion without feeling. Mayow.

Profane cursing and swearing is as far from the character of God's children as light is from darkness. Knowles.

The man who can engage in his worldly business on the Sunday, or who can spend his sabbaths in sinful sloth and idleness at home, or in seeking pleasure abroad, does not certainly exhibit any satisfactory marks that he is a true child of God. The same.

Drunkenness renders men totally unfit for the society of their sober and rational fellow-creatures on earth: they surely then cannot be fit companions for the holy God, the blessed Angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven. The same.

God is a God of truth; and therefore he abhors every thing which wears the appearance of falsehood. 66 Lying lips are an abomination to the

Lord."

The same.

EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS,&c.

A shopkeeper of Paisley received a letter last week from a brother of his in America, relating a very wonderful case as to the sagacity and faithfulness of dogs. The letter is dated, 17th February, 1823, Waddington Township, State of New York. He says that, about a month ago, one of his children, not four years old, had wandered from its home, and, having been out all night, a public intimation of the case was given the next morning, when, according to the rules of the place, his neighbours armed themselves to a certain number, and, two in a party, went in different directions to search for the child, the child had been absent two nights and nearly two days, when at last it was found fast asleep faithfully guarded by two dogs belonging to the father of the little wanderer. He forgets to mention what distance the child was from home, or whether the dogs were away all the time, but he says that the men who found the boy attempted to take him away, much pleased with having discovered him, when the two faithful dogs set up a bold defiance, and would not let the infant be touched, but looked with a very watchful and pitiful eye upon it whilst it was asleep. One of the men was accordingly under the necessity of returning to the town to inform the father of the child of what had happened, who soon made haste to the spot, and to the great joy of all concerned, dogs and all, the boy was safely conducted to a more comfortable abode.-Scotch Paper.

The newspapers contain several accounts of children being burnt to death, by standing too near the fire; and of houses being burned down by linen being left to dry.—A single spark getting upon linen often causes the destruction, not only of property, but of many lives. An old woman went on for fifty years leaving her linen very near to the fire without any accident, and she began to think that there was no danger. At length a live coal shot out of the fire, caught the linen, and burned down the house.

Execution.-Thomas and William Harvey, and Thomas Dossetter, the perpetrators of the robbery at Milton Abbey, who were left for execution at the late Dorchester assizes, suffered the sentence of the law on the new drop in front of the county gaol at Dorchester, on Saturday se'nnight.

The conduct of these wretched men was most penitent and becoming, from the period of their conviction. Soon after their condemnation they began to prepare for the awful fate which awaited them. The unwearied attention of the Chaplain (the Rev. Mr. Wood) was productive of the best effects on their disposition and feelings. Dossetter and Thomas Harvey

had entered the prison with sentiments of deadly hostility towards each other; but they now daily met in peace, and fervently joined in prayer.

When the moment arrived for their leaving the prison, Wm. Harvey was seized with a fainting fit, to which he was subject, and was conveyed to the scaffold in a chair. Thomas Harvey appeared perfectly resigned ; Dossetter wept a good deal. About three o'clock on Saturday afternoon they were conducted to the place of execution, when, after continuing a short time in prayer, they were launched into eternity.

Although neither of the prisoners spoke from the platform, Wm. Harvey had expressed his intention of addressing the spectators, and had prepared, in conjunction with the other prisoners, the following speech, but he was unable to read it: "Good People! Mark the end of crime, and behold the awful fate of two brothers and their uncle. We confess our guilt, and acknowledge the justice of the sentence about to be executed on us. We earnestly desire to warn you against the inlets of that guilt which has brought us to an untimely and ignominious death; namely, an aversion to honest labour, and fondness for company and dissipation,a propensity to gaming, and above all a neglect of our religious duties. Those amongst you, in particular, who belong to that class called Domestic Servants, in whom confidence is reposed and property intrusted, contemplate the dismal spectacle before your eyes; let duty, interest, and gratitude induce you to "hold fast your integrity.' We now stand on the brink of eternity, and it is our earnest wish (two of us having been servants ourselves) that you take warning from our example. We depend for the pardon of our sins solely on the atonement made for the sins of the world. We have entertained no presumptuous expectation, self-confidence, or assurance of salvation on the one hand, or despair on the other; but have most humbly and heartily prayed to Almighty God for mercy, on our sincere repentance and heartfelt contrition; and for the forgiveness of our sins through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour. In this prayer we entreat you to join, and when the fatal platform goes down, say with us Lord Jesus receive their souls.”

The death of all the culprits was almost instantaneous. Their bodies were buried in the church-yard of St. Peter, at Dorchester, in which parish the gaol is situated.

Each of the prisoners wrote a sketch of his life, from which the following particulars are collected.

Dossetter was born Nov. 23d, 1778, at Elstow, in Bedfordshire, where his father now lives, who was a baker for about 30 years, but has retired from business. He was bred to the