take such responsibility on his shoulders, as this of inducing and urging people to expatriate themselves; "for it is evident," they said, "that these poor people got on comfortably enough, as long as they kept to the common kind of work, that they had been accustomed to at home, but at the end of two years they are no longer content; they want to try some other mode of life, and no more is heard of them-got into some unhealthy spot, poor things! and perhaps, perished of fever, or travelled too far into the bush-lost their track, and died of thirst!"

My grandfather was not at all easy himself, as was evident from the manner in which he shrunk from conversing on the subject. However, at the end of about two years and a half, came a letter from Matilda to my mother, which set all our fears at rest, and filled my grandfather with joy and triumph. The letter was dated Port Lincoln, South Australia.

"Dear Madam,-I have been so unsettled for some time, that I would not write : indeed, I had not heart for it while Joe was away, but as you are so good as to like to know how we get on, I will take the liberty now, to tell you all about it.

"I hope your dear children is well, and I am now the mother of three myself-two boys and a girl. Soon after my last was born, I could see that Joe was not so full of talk, nor so cheerful as he used to be; and at last I says, 'Joe, if either you don't get on so well, or has anything on your mind, surely you won't keep it from me,' so he says, 'I don't deny that there's something, my dear, that troubles me; you know we've saved near two hundred pounds, besides our goods and house would fetch a good sum, and he says, there is so much talk now, about Port Lincoln, that, before the survey is all over, I should wish, if by possibility I could, to see the place. But, he says, to take you, Matilda, and the dear children, to a place where perhaps, you could not at first, have a house over your heads-where, for all people say to the contrary, I may find unhealthy marshes, or bad water, or something that when we get, would make us rue that we did'nt stop where we are, is a thing that weighs on my mind, so that I can't sleep at nights.' Well, ma'am I knew what he meant, and I says, Joe, I won't stand in the light of my own children, though I can't say, but it cuts me to the heart, to think of your making a voyage by yourself,

and me Lever knowing whether you're comfortably done by, nor whether you keep out of the way of fevers, and such like.

"I'll never go without your free consent,' says he, 'so think of it, my dear, and consider if you were a lady, very like your husband would go travelling about by himself, or making what they call excursions, just for his own pleasure, and not at all for your benefit.'

"So when he was gone away to his work, I turned it over in my mind, and to be sure, I shed a great many tears, and at night I could not speak to him good or bad; but next day I considered to give my consent, and when he came in to his dinner, he says, 'My dear, I see you can't think of it, so we'll say no more about it.' But I had quite made up my mind to let him go, for I had heard a great deal about Port Lincoln, and what a fine wealthy place it was, and a church ready built, and a good school, and a doctor, and the land not by any means so unreasonably dear as it is in many parts.

"So I told him I was quite willing to be left; I was stout and well, and not at all afraid to let him take what money we had saved, and lay it out to the best advantage, for I thought I could easy maintain myself and my little ones.

"He said he had made all manner of inquiries, and he believed he could certainly return to me in ten months from the time of starting, and that would give him time to look about him, buy a bit of land and get up a real good house, for to let me and the children go out of one house till another was roofed in for us, he said he never could consent to. And so, Ma'am, he started, and very dull we both felt, and I cried so that I didn't know at first how to go about my work, but I soon plucked up spirit, for though Joe had left me some money in hand, I was determined if I possibly could, not to touch it, for if we did mean to go, I knew every penny would be useful. Whenever I felt more dull than common, I always worked the harder, and Maria Bell did all she could to keep up my spirits, At last the ten months came to an end, and Joe was not come home. Then I did fret, indeed, and for all people told me how impossible it was he could come unless when a ship touched in Boston Bay, I was miserable. It was the most wretched time that could be, but I worked to keep my thoughts quiet, and three months went over my head

before I heard any thing of him. At last he came home in a whale ship, and my dear ma'am, the very deck was filled with whale blubber, so high, that if he hadn't managed to climb a little way up the ropes, I should not have seen him from the boat that I went out in to meet him. I assure you, though she lay half a mile from shore, we could smell that ship in Sydney quite plainly. But you may think, though you might almost have wrung the oil out of his clothes, I did'nt care for that, so glad I was to have him. In three weeks we sailed for our new place, a nice piece of land, with two cows and twelve sheep—a good beginning I say; and we have a right good house over our heads. Joe worked like a slave to get it done for us. We have a large comfortable garden and a good poultry yard, and as I'm willing to work we shall have every thing in reason that we can desire.

"A good many whale ships come up the bay, so I'm getting a little used to the smell of the oil, and of course, the more ships, the better is the prospect for the settlement.

"But I was going to mention Maria Bell, who decided to come with us to Port Lincoln--a very fine young woman she is, as I said the last time I wrote. It's only a wonder she kept single so long. But she's married now-in short, one of the settlers, that I may say is almost a gentleman, made up his mind to marry the first time he saw her, for she went with us to church where she behaved in a very modest and proper manner. So this gentleman came to Joe and asked a great many questions about her, and proposed for her. He is rather an elderly man, but he has a capital house, six hundred acres of land in capital cultivation, and two vessels of his own. And he married her and took her home. Such a plenty of everything she has, and treats her so very kind, he can't make enough fuss with her.

"She has now been married three months, and the other day she came in to have a chat, and we began to talk about the old country, as we often do, and old times, and she says, "I do wish I could send something over from here to Mrs. T. for she and her family were very good to me, and I agreed to let you know that a box is coming ma'am, with some curiosities in it from Maria, and she desired to be remembered to you."

There was a great deal more of this letter, and almost all the

neighbourhood read it, to satisfy their minds that these settlers were well and happy. In a few months the promised box arrived. It contained some most beautiful specimens of Australian birds, or rather their skins, several small cases of insects, and some beautiful ores; and, moreover, it contained a note for me in a manly hand, expressing a hope that the little girl whom the writer's wife remembered with so much affection, would accept a small token of her gratitude, and oblige him by spending the enclosed sum in the purchase of a gold watch and chain! The note contained twenty-five sovereigns.

My grandfather was highly delighted. My father remarked that this letter was a curious illustration of the ups and downs, or rather the downs and ups of life.

A watch and chain were very soon chosen for me, and I always wear them. Whenever my grandfather sees me quietly enduring some annoyance or inconvenience which he thinks a little perseverance, energy, or activity would remove, he is fond of shaking this little chain and muttering in a musing tone, "Why then, say I, let's put the best foot foremost, and don't let's have no talk about Resignation."

ORRIS.

A WORD TO A GRUMBLER.

EVERY one that has a breath of pity left, must lament over the sorrows of poor "Fresh Air."* To be excluded from palace and court, from church and chapel, and only permitted to visit the sick in the hospital, in charge of a thermometer, must be a great injury. Only think, Sir! Just as the youth has arrived fresh from the North Pole, to be forced into a warm chamber, and compelled to cease from shivering, before he enters "a place of worship or a court of justice," must be a wanton act of tyranny; or if the poor gentleman has been out in the sun in the dog days, to be sent into an ice-house, to get himself cool before he enters a building, lest he might put the people in a fever, or cause them to faint, must surely be a great insult. Another grievance which the youth has omitted to mention is-that in the buildings to which he refers, he is not permitted

• See our February Number, page 80.

to amuse himself, by setting the people coughing, so as to drown the voice of the speaker. But perhaps he would prefer buildings, if they were erected upon the plan in fashion in the time of Alfred? By the way, it was the rudeness of "Fresh Air," that compelled the patriot king, to invent the horn lanthorn.

If he will permit me, I would remind "Fresh Air," that he is not very careful in his choice of companions. If he pass a gas-works, a bone-boiler's, a glue maker's, or smoke-capped chimney top, instead of hastening away, as any one that had a due regard to cleanliness would do, he mixes with, and spreads the pollution over the surrounding neighbourhood.

He talks of being able to enter a building with tempestpower. In that case, some people would say, "Cease rude Boreas, blustering railer." But sometimes, it is well known, that if left to himself, he becomes so idle, that without the assistance of the engineer he cannot muster energy enough to enter a building.at all. So far from Dr. Whistle being his enemy, the fact is-that knowing the capricious disposition of the fast young gentleman, he has endeavored to place him under necessary control; and while he continues so dirty in his habits, he may expect to be washed before he is permitted to enter a place where decent people are assembled.

To conclude, I think it a libel to insinuate, that any man has a wife so light as to be blown away in the manner hinted at; but if such be the fact, which I think impossible, I hope that they will still seek for truth in the Well, in order that they may become more staid in their conduct than "Fresh Air,” with whose permission I beg to subscribe myself his real friend, THE GRIM OLD STOKER.

SCIENCE IN SPORT.*

Mr. Young. Well! here we are at home again. Your father does not return to night, so we will spend the evening together, if you feel disposed so far to prolong your studies. Harold. Studies ?

Mr. Young. Yes, my boys. Study is a portable thing,

* Being the conclusion of "Wisdom by the Wayside." p. 182.