ing almost surprised at the slowness of the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign glacier motion. JAMES THOMSON BOTTOMLEY. Glasgow University. From New York Evangelist. BY REV. THEODORE L. CUYLER. THERE have been men who have won an honorable immortality in an hour. A brave word fitly spoken, or a noble deed promptly done, has given them a place on the bead-roll of fame forever. Sometimes in a happy moment of inspiration a poet or an orator has "said or sung" what will last for ages. One of these happy songsters, whose grandest strain was born in an hour, but which the world shall never willingly let die, was Reginald Heber, Bishop of Christ's flock in Calcutta. If the great mass of Christians around the globe were asked to name the two English bishops whose memory is most dear to them, they would probably name Jeremy Taylor and Reg inald Heber. Yet the veneration and gratitude felt towards the latter, is mainly founded upon a few lines which he threw off in a sudden inspiration, and which could be written on a single page. Reginald Heber was born at Malpas, in Cheshire, on the 21st of April, 1783. He was a precocious boy, and at seven years of age he had translated Phædrus into 66 English verse. His prize poem at Oxford University on "Palestine," written in his twentieth year, stands at the head of that class of somewhat ephemeral productions. His Palestine" will live and so will his tender and graceful lines to his wife at Bombay, and so will his nautical hymn "When through the torn sail the tempest is streaming." But all his poetry, and his Bampton lectures, and his able Quarterly Review articles, are weighed down by his single matchless missionary hymn. Its composition was on this wise. Parts." On the afternoon before "Whitsunday" (1819), Heber and his father-in-law sat chatting with a few friends in Dr. Shipley's parlor. Dr. Shipley, knowing his son-inlaw's happy gift in rapid composition, said to him, "Write something for us to sing at the service to-morrow morning." Short notice that for a man to achieve his immortality. Heber retired to another part of the room, and in a little time had prepared three verses, of which the first one ran thus: "From Greenland's icy mountains; Their land from error's chain." Heber read the three verses over, and only altered a single word. The seventh line of the second verse was 66 "The savage in his blindness." The author erased that word, and sub stituted for it the better word heathen. "Waft, waft ye winds, the story, It spreads from pole to pole! In bliss returns to reign." "What shall we sing it to?" inquired. Dr. Shipley. Mr. Heber who had a fine musical ear, suggested a popular air called ""Twas when the seas were roaring." The While Reginald Heber was rector of the suggestion was adopted, and on the next Episcopal Church at Hodnet, in Shrop- morning the people of Wrexham church shire, he went to pay a visit to his father- listened to the "first rehearsal" of a lyric in-law, Dr. Shipley, then Vicar of Wrex- which has since been echoed by millions of ham, on the border of Wales. Heber was voices around the globe. The air to which in his thirty-second year, and had come to it was sung originally has given place, at Wrexham to deliver the first of a series least in our American churches, to a sonoof Sunday evening lectures in Dr. Ship-rous and lofty tune composed by Dr. Lowley's church. In the morning of that ell Mason. The air is worthy of the same day, Dr. Shipley was to deliver a hymn, and both are perfect. No profane discourse in behalf of the "Society for the hyma-tinker ever dared to lay his bung Some eggs being laid on the ground, it suck them. Occasionally it left the eggs, and went up to the cobra, within an inch of its neck, as the latter reared up; but when the cobra struck out, the mongoose was away with extraordinary activity. ling finger on a single syllable of those | and round the enclosure, occasionally venfour stanzas which the Holy Spirit moved turing up to the cobra, apparently quite Reginald Heber to write. Little did the unconcerned. young rector of Hodnet dream, as he listened to the lines sung that Sabbath morn-rolled them near the cobra and began to ing, that he was catching the first strains of his own immortality. He "builded better than he knew." He did more to waft the story of Calvary around the earth than if he had preached like Apollos, or had founded a board of missions. In the "monthly concerts," held in New England school-houses, in frontier cabins, on the decks of missionary ships bound to "Ceylon's Isle," and in the vast assemblies of the American Board, Heber's trumpethymn has been sung with swelling voices and gushing tears. It is the marching music to which Christ's hosts "keep step as they advance to the conquest of the globe. At length the mongoose began to bite the cobra's tail, and it looked as if the fight would commence in earnest. Neither, however, seemed anxious for close quarters, so the enclosure was narrowed. The mongoose then began to give the cobra some very severe bites; but the cobra after some fencing forced the mongoose into a corner, and struck it with full strength on the upper part of the hind leg. We were sorry for the mongoose, as but Heber lived but seven years after the for the enclosure it would have escaped. composition of his masterpiece. In June, It was clear that on open ground the cobra 1823, he departed for Calcutta as the mis- could not have bitten it at all; while it sionary Bishop of India. For three years was the policy of the mongoose to exhaust he toiled and travelled incessantly, and the cobra before making a close attack. wherever he went his apostolic sweetness The bite of the cobra evidently caused the of character and benignity won even the mongoose great pain, for it repeatedly heathen in their blindness." After a la-stretched out its leg, and shook it, as if borious day's work at Trichinopoly, he painful, for some minutes. The cobra went to his bath to refresh his weary seemed exhausted by its efforts, and putframe. He remained in the bath-room ting down its head, tried hard to escape, until his attendants became alarmed, and and kept itself in a corner. The mongoose when they came in they found Reginald then went up to it and drew it out, by Heber asleep in Jesus. His gentle spirit snapping at its tail, and when it was out, had stolen away to join in the "song of began to bite its body, while the cobra Moses and of the LAMB." kept turning round and round, striking desperately at the mongoose, but in vain. From Nature. FIGHT BETWEEN A COBRA AND A MON THE snake was a large cobra 4 ft. 10 1-2 When this had continued for some time, the mongoose came at length right in front of the cobra, and after some dodging and fencing, when the cobra was in the act of striking, or rather, ready to strike out, the mongoose, to the surprise of all, made a sudden spring at the cobra, and bit it in the inside of the upper jaw, about the fang, and instantly jumped back again. Blood flowed in large drops from the mouth of the cobra, and it seemed much weakened. It was easy now to see how the fight would end, as the mongoose became more eager for the struggle. It continued to bite the body of the cobra, going round it as before, and soon came again in front, When the mongoose was put into the and bit it a second time in the upper jaw, rectangle, it seemed scarcely to notice the when more blood flowed. This continued cobra; but the latter, on the contrary, for some time, until at last, the cobra beappeared at once to recognize its enemy. ing very weak, the mongoose caught its It became excited, and no longer seemed upper jaw firmly, and holding down its to pay any attention to the bystanders, head, began to crunch it. The cobra, but kept constantly looking at the mon- however, being a very strong one, often goose. The mongoose began to go round got up again, and tried feebly to strike In the evening, some hours after the fight, it returned, apparently quite well, and is now as well as ever. It follows either that the bite of a cobra is not fatal to a mongoose, or that a mongoose manages somehow to cure itself. I am not disposed to put aside altogether what so many intelligent natives positively assert. the mongoose; but the latter now bit its bread, dumplings, sausage, soups, cabhead and body as it pleased; and when bages, (of which there are a great variety), the cobra became motionless and dead, pork, veal, mutton, porridge, and beer and the mongoose left it, and ran to the jungle. coffee in large quantities. A considerable The natives said that the mongoose amount of corn brandy is also drunk; it went to the jungle to eat some leaves to is very cheap, but bad and fiery. If, howcure itself. We did not wish to prevent ever, the Englishman's food costs twice it, and we expected it would die, as it was as much as the German's from the quanseverely bitten. tity and quality of the meat which he insists on having, as well as his wasteful mode of dressing it (a roasted joint is the only thing he recognizes), the German in point of the frequency of his meals and the amount devoured distances every nation in Europe. The dietary given for the ordinary Saxon artisan in towns comprises a repast every three hours, and is as follows:-6 A.M. Three cups of coffee with white bread; 9 A.M. More bread, butter, cheese, and brandy; 12. Soup, with meat and vegetables in it, and beer; 4 P.M. Bread, butter, cheese, with either coffee or brandy; 7 P.M. Bread with sausage or cheese; and beer. Sometimes stewed or baked meat is eaten at twelve, instead of soup. The diet in the country villages is perhaps a little lower in quality, but it is, at all events, ample in quantity, and contains a fair amount of nitrogenous matter. As compared with Englishmen, the Germans are large and indiscriminate feeders, and compared with French workmen their gastronomic tastes are gross and unrefined. This fight shows at any rate how these active little animals manage to kill poisonous snakes. On open ground a snake cannot strike them, whereas they can bite the body and tail of a snake, and wear it out before coming to close quarters. This mongoose did not seem to fear the cobra at all; whereas the cobra was evidently in great fear from the moment it saw the mongoose, R. REID. Ratnapura, Ceylon, April 11, 1871. From The Examiner. THE INDUSTRIAL CLASSES IN GERMANY. In such a large country the price and quality of lodgings vary considerably, but on the whole there is a very high standard of comfort maintained, and in several States the laws are so stringent with regard to ventilation and drainage that epidemics are exceedingly rare. In villages a two-roomed cottage with garden costs 30s. per annum, in Leipsic three rooms would be about £7 per annum. The Saxon peasant cottages are solid and comfortable. Prussia appears rather behindhand in this respect. As regards the country districts, whole families often live together in one room, costing about 18s. or 24s. per annum. The weavers' houses in Silesia are miserable, low, dark, and damp; in Westphalia a goat or a pig is often more or less domesticated with the family; in Posen accommodation is wretched and costly have erected an immense number of small | primary schools; in these regard is had to houses suitable for workmen and their the future industrial career of each pupil. families; these are let at a moderate rent, In Saxony the Sunday and evening schools with the option of purchase, by the pay-offer a really high standard of education. ment of a certain annual sum for interest There are classes for chemistry, geometry, and sinking-fund in addition to the rent. stenography, geography, history, bookIt is really surprising, and, considering his low wages, very creditable to the German workman, that he so often contrives to become the owner of the house he lives in. The late war affected very materially both the labour market and the price of produce. There were not hands for the harvest, and bread rose; coals were scarce and dear because the blockade of ports curtailed the exports from Great Britain, and manufactories, &c., worked half-time for want of the artisans and mechanics who were called on to serve in the army, but affairs are now returning to their former condition. keeping, and practical mechanics. All kinds of drawing, either from models of ornaments, or machines, locks, wheels, boilers, engines, &c. The mathematical instruction is very important, and is thoroughly and zealously carried out. The quality of the work done by the artisans is generally very good, and is performed most conscientiously; indeed, the masters agree in saying that the skilled mechanic might in many cases earn more by expending less care and finish on his work than he usually does, but he takes pride in being known for turning out well-finished work. As a rule, German artisans take The amusements of the working classes immense pains, but they do not work so are cheap and numerous, and in great fast as our men, nor can they keep at high variety. They are also, in some instances, pressure for so long together. It is probof an elevating kind. The taste for the-able that the long hours have something atrical entertainments, and also for good to do with this as tending to discourage concerts and picture galleries, is very speed and nimbleness in labour; for when strongly developed. To these the majority so many hours have to be passed someof the men bring a cultivated eye, taste, and voice. They can mostly sing in parts, play on at least one instrument, and speak two languages. Some of them are well read in the classics of their own language, and will discuss Shakespeare's works with intelligence and knowledge. Then, again, there are the tea or beer gardens, where the women knit and the men smoke over their beer, dancing and music go on, and all retire sober and quiet by ten o'clock. Education is, as we have seen, far advanced; it is everywhere good, excessively cheap, and, when desirable, gratuitous. In Prussia it is compulsory, but in some of the States this is not so. Besides the primary, technical, and polytechnic schools, there are "fortbildungsschulen," which are schools for the further education of the young artisans after they have passed the period of compulsory attendance at the how, men do not care to economize seconds. There is no doubt that the system. of guilds was favourable to the production of good and able workmen, and though these institutions are partly dying out, there are in the art-industries many individual examples of admirable, patient, and laborious genius, men whom no consideration would induce to turn out of their hands work inferior to their own ideal. The Saxons are a particularly smart, cheerful class of workmen, and have exhibited much artistic ingenuity in the vari ous industrial departments. With regard to the general laws and local regulations which affect the exercise of industry throughout the North German Confederation, they are so numerous and stringent and so diametrically opposed to our own system of laissez aller that we shall reserve our remarks on them for another occasion. Two new periodicals will be started in Russia | next month. The one, a monthly magazine, under the title of Aziyatsky Vyestnik, or " Asiatic Messenger," will devote special attention to what is going on in Siberia, and in the Amoor, Transcaucasian, and Turkestan districts, besides dealing with such subjects as the history and ethnography of the East in general; the other, a weekly paper, styled the Grazhdanin, or “ Cit izen," will mainly occupy itself with political and social questions, especially such as relate to the development of the resources of Russia, and to the moral and physical welfare of the Russian people. Such a journal was much needed in Russia, and may be of great service to all who are assisting in carrying out the great reforms initiated in that country by the present Emperor Athenæum. 7. Two ASPECTS OF THE LIFE OF A JESUIT PRIEST, Spectator, . 8. BISHOP PATTESON.-IN MEMORIAM, Spectator, . NUMBERS OF THE LIVING AGE WANTED. 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