founded on the possession of that "peace which the world cannot give, and which it cannot take away." In the year 1507, he was ordained, and so highly was his learning, both secular and theological, appreciated, that in the following year he was invited by the vicargeneral to the Professorship of Philosophy at Wittemberg. Here he became distinguished, both as a teacher of philosophy, and a popular preacher. His fame spread far and wide. While resident in the monastery, he had learned from an old monk the doctrine of justification by free grace, and this vital, this fundamental truth, he proclaimed with a boldness which attracted peculiar attention. "This monk," exclaimed Martin Polichius, a doctor of law and medicine," will confound all the doctors, will exhibit new doctrines, and reform the whele Roman Church; for he is intent on reading the writings of the prophets and apostles, and he depends on the Word of Jesus Christ; this, neither the philosophers nor the sophists can subvert." Such a declaration, more especially from the mouth of a man who was himself accounted a wonder of his age, clearly shewed that Luther had made an open profession of his views in regard to the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel, and more especially in regard to that vitally important doctrine, which he himself afterwards termed the article of a standing or a falling church-Justification by free grace, through faith in the righteousness of the Re deemer. This cardinal tenet seems, at an carly period of his Scripture studies, to have assumed the pre-eminence in his mind, which justly belongs to it as the fundamental truth of Revelation. And the more strongly he himself felt its importance, so much the more zealously did he labour to make it known to others. Such was the fervour, in fact, and holy eloquence, which characterized the preaching of Luther, that he was regarded as one of the first orators of his time. The theme which chiefly occupied his attention at this period, both in his private meditations, and in his pulpit labours, may be learned from the following extract of a letter which he wrote to a friend :-" I desire to know what your soul is doing; whether wearied at length of its own righteousness, it learns to refresh itself, and to rest in the righteousness of Christ. The temptation of presumption in our age is strong in many, and specially in those who labour to be just and good with all their might, and, at the same time, are ignorant of the righteousness of God, which, in Christ, is conferred upon us, with a rich exuberance of gratuitous liberality. They seek in themselves to work that which is good, in order that they may have a confidence of standing before God, adorned with virtues and merits, which is an impossible attempt. You, my friend, used to be of this opinion, or rather this mistake; so was I; but now I am fighting against the error, but have not yet prevailed." Four years before writing this letter, Luther had been appointed Professor of Divinity at Wittemberg, an offce which, of course, led him to a still more diligent perusal of the Sacred Volume. At first, he had access only to the Vulgate, or Latin version of the Bible, but, anxious to draw his knowledge of divine truth from the originals, he directed his attention, with the utmost perseverance and success, to the study of the Greek and Hebrew languages. This enabled him to understand still more clearly the precious Word of Inspiration, that Word which, as he advanced in the knowledge of it, proved spirit and life to his soul. His views became clearer and more deeply impressive. He had not yet attacked the errors of the Romish Church, but his knowledge of the fundamental doctrines of religious truth was such, as to lead many to regard him as a heretic. There is an interesting incident which is recorded of Luther, and which places in a strong light the undeviating fidelity with which he preached the Gospel in the face of all opposition. Having been requested to preach before the Duke of Saxony, he dwelt at great length upon the freeness of the Gospel offer even to the chief of sinners. An honourable matron who had heard the sermon, was asked by the Duke, at dinner, how she liked the discourse. "I should die in peace," she said, "if I could hear such another sermon." Enraged at this reply, the Duke exclaimed, "I would give a large sum of money that a sermon of this sort, which encourages men in a licentious course of life, had never been preached." Within a month after this conversation, the lady was confined to bed with sickness, and died rejoicing in the belief of the glorious truths which Luther had preached. The time had now arrived when, though reluctantly, Luther felt himself necessitated to enter the field against the gross errors of that Church to which he belonged. In the course of his residence at Rome, on a mission which he had undertaken in connection with the affairs of the Augustinian Monks, he had been shocked at the unbecoming and even immoral conduct of the clergy. But still his attachment to the Romish Church was great, and while he himself stood aloof from those of his clerical brethren who disgraced their office, he made no attempt to expose them to the world. And it was not until he was forced to assume the decided position of a Reformer, that he took steps to vindicate himself from the charge of heresy which was not unfrequently brought against him in private. At length a circumstance occurred, which roused the indignation of Luther. One John Tetzel, a Dominican Friar, had been employed to sell indulgences, with the view of recruiting the exhausted treasuries of Pope Leo X. This profligate friar, whose presumption and effrontery knew no bounds, gave absolution, not only for past, but also for future sins, and scattered his indulgences with a profusion which shocked even those who were disposed to pay respect to the demands of the Papal See. Luther was enraged at the conduct of Tetzel, and made no secret of his disapprobation. He wrote to the Archbishop of Mentz, calling upon him to put a stop to such shameless excesses. His remon strances, however, were unheeded. Thus frustrated in his endeavours to interest his ecclesiastical superiors, he published to the world his opinions in regard to the whole subject, including indulgences, purgatory, and other kindred topics; at the same time inviting any one publicly to dispute with him. Tetzel, alarmed at the appearance of Luther's exposure, promptly replied, attempting to refute the arguments which had been urged against the doctrines of the Church of Rome. The Church was roused upon the subject; and it is said, that at the first public disputation, no fewer than three hundred monks were present. Fair argument, however, was not sufficient for the ghostly Dominican. He ventured even to wreak his vengeance upon the Augustinian heretic, as he termed the Reformer, by causing his publication to be burned,- -an act of pitiful spite, which was speedily retaliated upon the work of Tetzel by the disciples of Luther at Wittemberg. The Reformer himself was far from sanctioning this rash act on the part of his followers; but, on the contrary, alluding to the report which was industriously circulated by his enemies, that he had been the instigator of the deed, he thus expresses himself: "I wonder you could believe that I was the author of the deed. Think you that I am so destitute of common sense, as to stigmatize, in such a manner, a person in so high an office? I know better the rules of ecclesiastical subordination, and have some regard to my own character, both as a monk and a theologian, than to act so." The controversy, however, was not limited to Luther and Tetzel; it called forth the strenuous exertions of others also, and among the rest, of Henry Duke of Brunswick, who afterwards distinguished himself in the cause of the Reformation. Luther continued for several THE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE. IN the admirable Bridgewater Treatise of Professor Whewell, the following interesting and impressive observations occur. years to propagate his tenets, by publishing theses, not him for the important duties which were yet to devolve only on the subject of indulgences, but also upon the upon him, and which could only be discharged by one cardinal doctrines of Christianity. Nor was the contest who was specially enlightened by the Spirit of God. confined to Germany. From the very seat of the Papal His work was arduous, and therefore he was endowed power there issued severe attacks upon the new doc- with peculiar qualifications, both of an intellectual and trines, which, accordingly, Luther was compelled to de- moral kind. But to what extent, and by what means, fend. In these answers to the Romanists, even his op- he succeeded, under God, in carrying forward the gloponents admitted that a spirit of gentleness was obvious-rious cause of the Reformation, will probably engage ly discernible. At this time, also, he wrote to his own our attention in a future number. diocesan, and to his vicar-general. In his letter to the former he expresses himself with that undaunted confidence which might be expected to characterize a person who was conscious of being engaged in a righteous cause. "I fear not," says he, "bulls and menaces; it is the audaciousness and the ignorance of men that induce me to stand forth, though with much reluctance; were there not a weighty cause for it, no one out of my own little sphere should ever hear of me. If the cause I defend be not the work of God, I would have nothing to do with it; let it perish. Let Him alone have glory, to whom alone glory belongs." The position which Luther now occupied was one which harassed and distressed his mind. It was with the utmost reluctance that he felt himself compelled to oppose the Church with which he was connected, and, more especially, as the ground of his opposition was of such vital importance. Unwilling, however, to be considered as disclaiming the authority of the Pope, as his enemies alleged that he did, he requested his faithful friend and patron, Staupitz, to transmit his writings to Rome, that all misrepresentation of his doctrines might be prevented. Not," says he, "that I would involve you in my dangers. I desire alone to stand the shock of it. Christ see to it, whether the cause be mine or His. To the kind admonitions of my friends, who would warn me of danger, my answer is, The poor man has no fears. I protest that property, reputation, and honours shall be of no estimation with me, compared with the defence of the truth. I have only a frail body to lose, and that weighed down with constant fatigue. If, in obedience to God, I lose it through violence or fraud, what is the loss of a few hours of life? sufficient for me is the lovely Redeemer and advocate, my Lord Jesus Christ, to whose praise I will sing as long as I live." He even addressed a letter to the Pope himself, explanatory of his conduct, and couched in such language as clearly shews, that at this period, he had no intention of separating from the Church. were. Let It is interesting to observe how clear, even at this early period of his history, Luther's views of divine truth The Bible had been for years his constant study; prayer had been his unceasing exercise, and in the habitual use of these two means of grace, his knowledge of the Gospel had become at once extensive and accurate. In the doctrines of free grace, more particularly, Luther gloried. "A Christian," to use his own words," may glory that in Christ he has all things; that all the righteousness and merits of Christ are his own, by virtue of that spiritual union with him which he has by faith: and, on the other hand, that all his sins are no longer his, but Christ, through the same union, bears the burden of them. And this is the confidence of Christians, this is the refreshment of their consciences, that by faith our sins cease to be ours judicially, because they are laid on him, the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sin of the world.' The righteousness of Christ, the Reformer viewed as the sole foundation of the sinner's hope, and he accordingly urged it, with the utmost earnestness, upon all who came within the sphere of his influence. 6 Thus pure were the religious sentiments of Luther, at the outset of his career as a Reformer, and before his doctrines had assumed such a prominence, as to attract the attention and call down upon him the wrath of the Papal See. The Almighty had been gradually training "The aspect of the world, even without any of the peculiar lights which science throws upon it, is fitted to give us an idea of the greatness of the power by which it is directed and governed, far exceeding any notions of power and greatness which are suggested by any other contemplation. The number of human beings who surround us the various conditions requisite for their life, nutrition, well-being, all fulfilled; the way in which these conditions are modified, as we pass in thought to other countries, by climate, temperament, habit;-the vast amount of the human population of the globe thus made up; yet man himself but one among almost endless tribes of animals; the forest, the field, the desert, the air, the ocean, all teeming with creatures whose bodily wants are as carefully provided for as his ;-the sun, the clouds, the winds, all'attending, as it were, on these organzied beings;-a host of beneficient energies, unwearied by time and succession, pervading every corner of the earth; this spectacle cannot but give the contemplator a lofty and magnificent conception of the Author of so vast a work, of the Ruler of so wide and rich an empire, of the Provider for so many and varied wants, the Director and Adjuster of such complex and jarring interests. "But when we take a more exact view of this spec tacle, and aid our vision by the discoveries which bave been made of the structure and extent of the universe, the impression is incalculably increased. The number and variety of animals, the exquisite skill displayed in their structure, the comprehensive and profound relations by which they are connected, far exceed any thing which we could have beforehand imagined. But the view of the universe expands also covered with life, is not the only globe in the universe. on another side. The earth, the globular body thus There are, circling about our own sun, six others, so far as we can judge, perfectly analogous in their nature: besides our moon and other bodies analogous to it. No one can resist the temptation to conjecture, that these globes, some of them much larger than our own, are not dead and barren; that they are, occupied with organization, life, intelligence. To conjecture is all that we can do, yet even by the perception of such a possibility, our view of the domain of nature is enlarged and elevated. The outermost of the planetary globes of which we have spoken is so far from the habitants of that planet, if any there are, no larger than sun, that the central luminary must appear to the inVenus does to us; and the length of their year will be 82 of ours. like ours, "But astronomy carries us still onwards. It teaches us that, with the exception of the planets already mentioned, the stars which we see have no immediate relation to our system. The obvious supposition is that they are of the nature and order of our sun: the minuteness of their apparent magnitude agrees, on this supposition, with the enormous and almost inconceivable distance which, from all the measurements of astronomers, we are led to attribute to them. If, then, these are suns, they may, like our sun, have planets revolving round them; and these may, like our planet, be the seats of vegetable, and animal, and rational life :—we may thus have in the universe worlds, no one knows how many, no one can guess how varied; but however many, however varied, they are still but so many provinces in the same empire, subject to common rules, governed by a common power. "But the stars which we see with the naked eye are but a very small portion of those which the telescope unveils to us. The most imperfect telescope will discover some that are invisible without it; the very best instrument perhaps does not shew us the most remote. The number of stars which crowd some parts of the heavens is truly marvellous: Dr Herschel calculated that a portion of the milky-way, about ten degrees long and two and a-half broad, contained 258,000. In a sky so occupied, the moon would eclipse 2000 of such stars at once. "We learn, too, from the telescope, that even in this province the variety of nature is not exhausted. Not only do the stars differ in colour and appearance, but some of them grow periodically fainter and brighter, as if they were dark on one side, and revolved on their axis. In other cases two stars appear close to each other, and in some of these cases it has been clearly established, that the two have a motion of revolution about each other; thus exhibiting an arrangement new to the astronomer, and giving rise, possibly, to new conditions of worlds. In other instances, again, the telescope shews, not luminous points, but extended masses of dilute light, like bright clouds, hence called nebula. Some have supposed that such nebula, by further condensation, night become suns; but for such opinions we have nothing but conjecture. Some stars again have undergone permanent changes, or have absolutely disappeared, as the celebrated star of 1572, in the constellation Cassiopea. "If we take the whole range of created objects in our own system, from the sun down to the smallest animal. cule, and suppose such a system, or something in some way analogous to it, to be repeated for each of the millions of stars which the telescope reveals to us, we obtain a representation of the material universe; at least a representation which to many persons appears the most probable one. And if we contemplate this aggregate of systems as the work of a Creator, which in our own system we have found ourselves so irresistibly led to do, we obtain a sort of estimate of the extent through which his creative energy may be traced, by taking the widest view of the universe which our faculties have attained. "If we consider, further, the endless and admirable contrivances and adaptations which philosophers and observers have discovered in every portion of our own system; every new step of our knowledge shewing us something new in this respect; and if we combine this consideration with the thought how small a portion of the universe our knowledge includes, we shall, without being able at all to discern the extent of the skill and wisdom displayed in the creation, see something of the character of the design, and of the copiousness and ampleness of the means which the scheme of the world exhibits. And when we see that the tendency of all the arrangements which we can comprehend is to support the existence, to develope the faculties, to promote the well-being of these countless species of creatures, we shall have some impression of the beneficence and love of the Creator, as manifested in the physical go vernment of his creation. "The above estimates are vast in amount, and almost oppressive to our faculties. They belong to the measurement of the powers which are exerted in the universe, and of the spaces through which their efficacy reaches (for the most distant bodies are probably connected both by gravity and light.) But these estimates cannot be said so much to give us any notion of the powers of the Deity, as to correct the errors we should fall into by supposing his powers to have any limits like those which belong to our faculties:-by supposing that numbers, and spaces, and forces, and combinations, which would overwhelm us, are any obstacle to the arrangements which his plan requires. We can easily understand that to an intelligence surpassing ours in degree only, that may be easy which is impossible to us. The child who cannot count beyond four, the savage who has no name for any number above five, cannot comprehend the possibility of dealing with thousands and millions: yet a little additional developement of the intellect makes such numbers conceivable and ma nageable. The difficulty which appears to reside in numbers and magnitudes and stages of subordination, is one produced by judging from ourselves-by measuring with our own sounding line; when that reaches no bottom, the ocean appears unfathomable. Yet in fact, how is a hundred millions of times a great dis tance? how is a hundred millions of times a great ratio? Not in itself; this greatness is no quality of the numbers which can be proved like their mathematical properties; on the contrary, all that absolutely belongs to number, space, and ratio, must, we know demonstrably, be equally true of the largest and the smallest. It is clear that the greatness of these expressions of measure has reference to our faculties only. Our astonishment and embarrassment take for granted the limits of our own nature. We have a tendency to treat a difference of degree and of addition, as if it were a difference of kind and of transformation. The existence of the attributes, design, power, goodness, is a matter depending on obvious grounds: about these qualities there can be no mistake: if we can know anything, we can know these attributes when we see them. But the extent, the limits of such attributes must be determined by their effects; our knowledge of their limits by what we see of the effects. Nor is any extent, any amount of power and goodness improbable beforehand; we know that these must be great, we cannot tell how great. We should not expect before hand to find them bounded; and therefore when the boundless prospect opens before us, we may be bewildered, but we have no reason to be shaken in our conviction of the reality of the cause from which their effects proceed: we may feel ourselves incapable of following the train of thought, and may stop, but we have no rational motive for quitting the point which we have thus attained in tracing the divine perfections. "On the contrary, those magnitudes and proportions which leave our powers of conception far behind;—that ever-expanding view which is brought before us, of the scale and mechanism, the riches and magnificence, the population and activity of the universe ;-may reasonably serve, not to disturb, but to enlarge and elevate our conceptions of the Maker and Master of all; to feed an ever-growing admiration of His wonderful nature; and to excite a desire to be able to contemplate more steadily, and conceive less inadequately, the scheme of his government and the operation of his power." A MISSIONARY SCENE IN CAFFRARIA.* "MANY minutes had not elapsed before we came up to a newly-established Hottentot village, near the confluence of the Mankazana and Kat Rivers. It consisted of thirty-one small wattled cottages, forming a complete circle, with cattle and sheep folds in the centre. There were seven or eight waggons belonging to the hamlet, a considerable herd of cows and oxen, a fine flock of sheep, and several good horses. The object of my visit being. announced, an old plough-share was immediately hung up, and used as their substitute for a bell. Nearly one hundred and fifty persons, inclusive of children, were hereby called together in the course of a few seconds, and assembled beneath the spreading branches of a large tree. I had with me an English pocket Testament, from which my usual practice was to translate, into the vernacular tongue, as occasion might require; but wishing to ascertain whether any of them possessed a copy of the Sacred Scriptures, I asked for a Bible; upon which, an old man who formerly belonged to the Wittie River Station, instantly produced a Dutch Testament. On my opening it, a small pamphlet fell out, which proved to be a copy of the Ordinance issued by the Lieutenant-Governor, General Bourke, under date of July 17, 1828, for the improvement of the condition of Hottentots, and other aborigines of colour, and for the consolidation and amendment of laws affecting such persons, agreeably to the recommendation of His Majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry. This, of course, induced me to ask why they had treasured up this document in the Sacred Volume: 'Because,' said one of the elders, it is God's Word that teaches us how to make a right use of our privileges; and therefore ought the Bible and the Ordinance to be kept together.' "Shortly after the conclusion of divine service, several other Bushmen made their appearance, whose garb and manners furnished indubitable evidence of their having but just emerged from the gloomy recesses of the forest, or the still more dismal chambers of the cavern. The real condition, civil as well as moral, of this race is truly deplorable. We cannot contemplate their circumstances, or even look upon their withered countenances, without inexpressible pain of heart. Hunted for generations back, like partridges upon the mountains, they have become desperate; their hand is uplifted against every one, and every one's hand against them. Robbed of their country, and driven beyond the ordinary range of men, they have been compelled to seek refuge and dwelling-places in the glens of the desert, the thickets of the jungle, or the clefts of the precipice. There it is that we must, in general, look for them, on the points of projecting crags, or From "Travels and Researches in Caffraria, by Stephen Kay. Published by John Mason, London, 1833. upon the summits of the highest rocks, watchfully surveying all beneath. With eagle-eyed fierceness, with bows fully bent, darts deeply poisoned, and an air that betrays less fear than hostility, they stand ever prepared to take fatal aim at all who may have temerity enough to approach their rampart. The following strikingly descriptive lines on the Kaffer, by Mr Thomas Pringle, apply in a great measure to the Bushman also : 'Lo! there he crouches by the kloof's dark side, He scorns the herdsman, nor regards the scar A heathen?-Teach him, then, thy better creed, "As an enemy, they are much more formidable than the Kaffer; not indeed on account of their numbers, nor of muscular strength: for in both these respects they are far inferior to any of the other tribes. But, besides their weapons being of a much more deadly kind, their mode of warfare is such as to place an antagonist in the most perilous situation, ere he is at all aware of danger. So exceedingly diminutive are they in person, that they easily manage to conceal themselves behind large stones or ant-heaps; whence they are able, at pleasure, to lodge a dart in the vitals of their victim. When thus lying in ambush, this Lilliputian archer seats himself upon the ground, places lis foot against the bow, directs his arrow with his left hand, and then draws it with his right. And such is the force with which he discharges the dart, that it not only pierces the person or animal at which it is shot, but sometimes goes completely through them. "After spending the greater part of the evening in conversation with the people, I retired into an old waggon, where a straw mat (the best bed they could afford) had been spread for my accommodation. But when lying down my attention was arrested by a singular noise that appeared to come from one of the more distant huts. Curiosity induced me to rise and follow the sound, rendered doubly dolorous by the extreme darkness of the night, and the occasional howlings of the wolf. It at length led me to a low wretched hovel, the interior of which presented one of the most melancholy scenes I ever witnessed; language indeed fails to give anything like a complete idea of the strong delusion which pervaded the minds of its in mates. "Some of the little strangers above-mentioned having professed an acquaintance with the nature and causes of disease, and likewise with the means of removing it, two or three sick Hottentots had solicited their aid. They first assembled at the dwelling of the afflicted persons, and performed over them a number of ludicrous antics preparatory to the great ceremony.' One stood muttering in a corner; and another sat perched upon poles placed in an horizontal position; whilst two others bounded about on the floor with slow but regular step. All were apparently weeping in a most heartrending manner, and thus signifying to the patients that the disease was of a very dangerous character. This they continued until their feeling seemed to be wrought up to the highest pitch, rendering them like men wholly intoxicated. One of them fell to the ground with such violence as very seriously to bruise his head and produce temporary insensibility. I at first concluded that they had been using some kind of narcotic; but was in this mistaken. When opportunity presented itself, I remonstrated with them respecting the folly of such a mode of proceeding; and the consequence was, a momentary cessation, But being bent upon what they deemed a duty, their operations were soon recommenced. nœuvres. "On going to the hut a second time I found it crowded to excess. A large fire was burning in the eentre: four Bushmen, and two women belonging to the same tribe, were dancing, singing, clapping their hands, and occasionally shouting in the wildest manner imaginable. With the intention of detecting, the better to expose the fallacy of their arts, I placed myself in a corner which commanded a full view of all their maThe appearance of the men was as ugly and demon-like as can be conceived. One had tufts of hair attached to his head in the form of horns; another, who was almost naked, had an appendage to his back, resembling a wild beast's tail; a third bore in his hand a kind of reed, as a wand, with which he occasionally touched different parts of the patient's body, and through which he at other times puffed and blew upon those around him; and a fourth, with a sinall calabash, or gourd, full of pebbles, in each hand, kept up a tremendous and deafening rattle. The scene was occasionally terrific beyond description, as one and then another of the little conjurors became completely frantic, and assumed all the appearance of maniacs. They kicked the fire about with their feet: sighed, groaned, and yelled most hideously. Symptoms of stupor, or insensibility, were regarded as proofs that the evil influence under which the patients had been suffering was leaving them, and entering the individual affected. His magical powers were consequently deem- | ed far superior to those of his fellows, who, nevertheless flew to his relief, and by means of the wand, and certain strange efforts, affected to deliver, and restore him to his senses again. Sometimes, after shaking and otherwise roughly handling, blowing upon, or applying the mouth to some particular part of the body, the Sorcerers would gravely turn round and exhibit a quantity of goat's hair, a few bird's feathers, a piece of thong, or a number of straws, saying they had extracted them from the head, the stomach, the legs, or the arms of the patient. Palpable as were these absurdities, they nevertheless instantly obtained full credence among the spectators, who, with uplifted hands, would exclaim, No wonder that A. or B. were so ill!' "I went to the poor deluded creatures the following morning, and endeavoured to make them sensible of the vanity and wickedness of their tricks, challenged them with the various falsehoods they had told; and in proof of the inefficacy of all their exertions pointed to the sick persons themselves, who, from having been kept sitting before a large fire, during the greater part of the night, and consequently prevented from taking proper rest, were even worse than before. They answered me not a word, but afterwards acknowledged the truth of all that had been said; and the only plea they attempted to set up in justification of their system was, as usual, that such had been the custom of their forefathers from time immemorial.' How melancholy the reflection! From time immemorial, millions have thus made lies their only refuge in times of trouble! from time immemorial, whole nations of men have thus been sinking in the vortex of delusion! Yea, from time immemorial, one generation of immortal beings has been thus blindly following another, and all literally "perishing for lack of knowledge!" Who does not hear, in these chilling facts, the dying moans of thousands more, whom the stream is even now rapidly bearing down to the eternal gulf, and whose ignorance and wretchedness loudly cry, Come over and help us; come over and help us?' lykindling a fire because of the cold and because of the rain' which had poured heavily upon us during the greater part of the journey. Being weary and sleepy, my host spread a few skins for me to rest upon in the best corner of his newly-erected dwelling; the floor of which, being but just laid, was exceedingly damp; consequently the following morning brought with it a severe cold, and violent pains in my head. ous, "After preaching, I went out to see their different gardens and corn-lands; from which it was quite evident that they were far in advance of those whom I had left. Their situation, however, was much more advantagethe soil being of a superior description, and more likely to prove productive than that upon which their neighbours were placed. In several places enclosures had been made, and both wheat and barley sown, as had peas and potatoes also in considerable quantities. The greater part of this division formerly resided near Bavian's River, and amongst the Scotch emigrants, who had often employed them in various ways, and afforded them much useful instruction. Several were able to read the Scriptures, and one or two could write likewise. Their stock of sheep and cattle was very considerable; and little doubt can be entertained of their ultimate prosperity. There were few amongst them but what had entirely cast off the sheep-skin garb of the Hottentot; and at divine service the greater part of them, male as well as female, were decently and respectably clad in European apparel. Several couples that had long lived together as man and wife, according to general custom, expressed an earnest desire to have their matrimonial union honourably and legally solemnized: there did not appear to be more than one or two instances of polygamy in the whole bamlet. "In one of the huts at this place, I found a sick man, who had been most miraculously delivered from the jaws of a lion, two or three weeks prior to my visit. While sitting by his side he furnished me with the following particulars; which, as they constitute a striking illustration of that gracious Providence whose tender mercy is over the children of men, are well worthy of being recorded. Accompanied by several other individuals, he one morning went out on a hunting excursion; and on coming to an extensive plain beyond the precincts of the colony, where there was abundance of game, they discovered a number of lions, which were disturbed by their approach. One of the males instantly separated himself from the troop, and began slowly to advance towards the party, most of whom were young, and altogether unaccustomed to rencounters of so formidable a nature. While droves of timid antelopes only came in their way, they were all brave fellows, and boasted loudly of their courage; but this completely failed, and the young Nimrods began to quake, when the monarch of the desert appeared. "Nevertheless, while the animal was yet at a distance, they all dismounted; and, according to general custom on such occasions, began tying their horses together, with the view of keeping them between themselves and the beast, until they could take deliberate aim at him. His movements, however, were too quick; and before the horses were properly fastened, the lion made a tremendous bound or two, which suddenly brought him down upon the hind parts of one of them: being hereby startled, they instantly plunged forward, and knocked down the poor man in question; over him went the horses; and off ran his comrades with all speed. He arose from the ground as quickly as possible; but, on perceiving him stand up, the animal turned round, and, with a seeming consciousness of his superior might, stretched forth his paw, and by a single stroke on the back part of the neck laid him prostrate again. He had but just time to roll on to his back, before it set its feet upon his breast, and lay regularly "Leaving Mankazana, I proceeded to Tambookie Vlei, and there found another of the parties, industriously employed in building, pastoral pursuits, and cultivation. On hearing what the object of my visit was, one of the people heartily welcomed me, saying, Come in, come in, Sir;' and showed me no small kindness, immediate-down at full length upon him. |