The shades of evening will soon steal over us, and the sun that has lighted and warmed the earth through so many revolving years, will shortly set and rise no more for the year that now is. The seal of darkness will be set on its closing, and when again his bright rays revisit earth, they will come to illumine another cycle of Time. But ere the shadows prevail, and shut out God's glorious creation from our gaze-Oh! eternal and unchangeable Jehovah, Lord of the universe, Father, Friend, and Redeemer, grant us forgiveness for the sins of the past, Thy blessing on the present, and Thy guidance for the future. Even though our iniquities are lifted up unto the skies, and our sins have reached unto heaven, yet, "hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place and forgive the sin of Thy people;" "forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowest"and, for the bright and beautiful flowers Thou hast caused the months to bring forth, and scatter in our path as we journeyed onward; for all the lessons Thou hast taught us by natural objects; for all the knowledge Thou hast bestowed upon us, by opening our minds to comprehend the glories of creation, and the perfection of Thy laws, we thank and praise Thee, oh God!

For all the varied splendour of the starry heavens; for the undeniable footprints of Deity, traceable in the deep mines which show the wondrous remains and fragments of an aboriginal world, as plainly as in verdant meads and flowery dells; and for the power of clearly detecting the links of connexion and beautiful affinities of the Gospel, which Thou hast given to some minds, and thus enabled them to present priceless truths, and brilliant

gems, deriving their lustre from the "Sun of Righteousness," to others less gifted—we praise Thee, oh God!

For all the faculties and powers Thou hast bestowed on each one of us; for all holy feelings Thou hast planted in our hearts; for the teachings of Thy Word, and the influences of Thy holy Spirit-we praise Thee, oh God!

For all Thy bounty to us during the closing year; for all our domestic ties; for happiness, comforts, and joys— we praise Thee, oh God!

For the "Rock of Ages" Thou hast given us to build upon; for the view of the everlasting hills, and the eternity of happiness Thou hast opened to us by Thy Word; and for the crown of glory Thou hast laid up for those who love Thy appearing-we praise Thee, oh God!—and when, oh heavenly Father, we can serve Thee no more in Time, grant that we may praise Thee for ever in Eternity, and join the blessed throng, "who are without fault before the throne of God, "to whom be all glory, honour, might, majesty, dominion, and power, now and for evermore,Amen."

NOTES.

(1) PAGE 12.

Timúr, the great hero of the Tahtars, was once obliged to take shelter from his enemies in a ruined building, and while meditating upon his position, his attention was arrested by an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself to the top of a wall. Sixty-nine times it failed, the grain of corn fell to the ground; but the seventieth time perseverance conquered, and the ant was triumphant. Timúr never forgot the lesson he learned in the ruin, and his subsequent career was one of almost unbroken prosperity, and a series of brilliant conquests well nigh incredible.

(2) PAGE 34.

"Robert Bruce, the great supporter of Scottish independence, and one of the bravest warriors that Christendom has produced, was the grandson of that Robert who disputed the throne of Scotland with John Baliol. Seeing how his countrymen were oppressed by Edward I. of England, he resolved to fight for the freedom of his country; and, as the nearest claimant to the throne, he was hastily crowned at Scone by his followers, in 1306. At the onset all his undertakings turned out disastrously; he was everywhere

M

defeated; and having been excommunicated by the Pope, (which empowered any person to kill him with impunity,) he was hunted down by his enemies like a wild beast, and driven from place to place, suffering all the while most dreadful hardships. As he lay one morning in a wretched cabin, meditating on the expediency of relinquishing his object, and submitting to his hard fate, his eye was attracted by a spider, which, hanging at the end of a long thread, was endeavouring, as is the fashion of that creature, to swing himself from one beam of the roof to another, for the purpose of fixing his web. It came into his head that he had himself fought just six battles against the English and their allies, and that the poor spider was exactly in the same situation with himself, having made as many trials, and been as often disappointed in what he aimed at. Now, thought Bruce, as I have no means of knowing what is best to be done, I will be guided by the luck which shall attend the spider. If the insect shall make another effort to fix its thread, and be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my fortune in Scotland; if the spider shall fail, I will go to the wars in Palestine, and never return to my native country again. While Bruce was forming this resolution, the spider made another exertion, with all the force it could muster, and fairly succeeded in fastening its thread on the beam which it had so often attempted to reach. Bruce, seeing the success of the spider, resolved to try his own fortune; and, as he never before gained a victory, so he never afterwards sustained any considerable check or defeat. His most glorious and decisive action was the battle of Bannockburn, fought June 24th, 1314. This great hero, having established the independence of Scotland, and insured the inheritance of the crown to his own posterity, died in 1327."

SIR WALTER SCOTT.

(3) PAGE 115.

The fragments of Castell Dinas Brân stand on a conical mountain, at a height of 910 feet above the bridge crossing the Dee, which runs at the foot of this noble hill. It is recorded among the number of primitive Welsh castles, and derived its name from Brân Fendigaid (Brân the Blessed). Brân was at Rome at the time the Apostle

Paul was first imprisoned there; and it is stated in the ancient Triads that Brân was one of the three "blessed sovereigns of the island of Britain, Brân the Blessed, son of Llyr Llediaith, who first brought faith in Christ to the race of the Cymry, from Rome, where he had been hostage for his son Caractacus."

(4) PAGE 152.

The legend runs thus.-When Joseph of Arimathæa came to Britain (as is supposed about the year 36), he landed on the island of Avalon (now Glastonbury), the waters which then surrounded it being connected with the sea, but now dried up. Having landed, which chanced to be on the anniversary of the Nativity of our Blessed Lord, he struck his stick into the ground, when it immediately took root, and blossomed.

BATH PRINTED BY BINNS AND GOODWIN.