long journey, and the excitement he had undergone, but his brother and sisters left him no repose until he had related his adventures, and as the reader, doubtless, is anxious to know how he recovered his liberty, we will resume Herman's history where we left it in the last chapter.

He had just returned to Mr. Hubert's house, to learn the result of his interview with the Empress. Mr. Hubert told him he had placed the diamond in her hands, relating to her the whole affair, and interceding for the pardon of the criminals. As he had anticipated, she was much struck by the honesty of Herman, and moved by the repentance of Claus. She expressed a desire to see them both, and promised to use her influence with her Royal Consort, to obtain the pardon of Claus and the negro. In compliance with the command of the Empress, Hubert went immediately to seek Herman and Clans and took them immediately to the Palace Garden, where her Majesty was then walking. The father's heart beat violently, as he entered that very garden in which doubtless at that moment his beloved son Conrad was labouring as a slave.

"Oh, my God!" prayed Herman, 66 grant that I may behold him once more and enfold him in my arms, if it be but for an instant!" As he made this internal prayer, his eyes wandered on all sides, in search of his son, but he saw only negroes, not a single white man. The party had not advanced far into the garden, before they met the Empress, who received them with winning kindness. She addressed some words of commendation to Herman, and perceiving poor Claus, who stood pale and trembling before her, she sweetly reassured him, bade him be of good cheer, and promised to intercede with the Emperor for his pardon.

While she was speaking, a gang of slaves, driven to their work by the lash, appeared at the end of the terrace on which they were standing, they were followed by their cruel overseer, who did not expect to find his sovereign in that part of the garden. A young white man, who walked foremost of the gang, stopped suddenly as if thunderstruck, then rushed forwards, and threw himself on Herman's neck, exclaiming, "My father! my good father!" They remained locked in each other's arms, and their tears flowed fast, while deep emotion choked their utterance.

"What does all this mean? asked the Empress in astonishment, "who is this young man?"

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Pardon, noble lady," replied Herman, firmly, we have not

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been able to resist the voice of nature, even in the presence of your Majesty; this young man is my son, my beloved Conrad, and although now a slave, he is nevertheless the pride of my old age."

The modest youth coloured at what sounded to him exaggerated praise, and he made a sign to his father to stop; but the Empress insisted on knowing the whole truth: and Claus related to her Conrad's history.

Her generous soul was touched with the filial piety and noble selfdevotion of Conrad, and the tears ran down her cheeks, tears of sympathy and of sincere admiration. "Virtue like this, deserves a recompense," she exclaimed, turning to Conrad. 66 Young man, you are free, return to the bosom of your family; I undertake to pay your ransom. Stay," she added, drawing from her finger a valuable ring,

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accept this trifle as a remembrance of me; and you, worthy Herman, have no uneasiness about your future prospects; it shall be my care to see that you and your chil

dren are amply provided for. Mr. Hubert," she continued, addressing the Secretary, "I give this worthy family into your especial charge, and in doing so, I am imposing a very pleasing duty on one who possesses a heart like your's." So saying, the Empress withdrew, followed by the blessings and thanks of Herman, of Conrad, and of Claus.

We need not say that the benevolent intentions of the Empress were fully carried out by Hubert, and at this instant there exists not

a

more flourishing settlement in Brazil, than that founded by Herman and his family.

JOHN CARTER.

THE History of John Carter,* which I am going briefly to relate, is interesting as an instance of the wonderful interposition of God on behalf of a penitent, under circumstances of no ordinary occurrence. John Carter was born at Coggeshall, in Essex, of humble parents, on the 31st of July, 1815, and baptized on the 27th of August following. He passed his early years at the different schools in the town, first at a dame's then at the National School, and lastly at an endowed School. He was of quicker parts than the gene. rality of boys, and, as is too commonly the case, was more frequently in mischief; but he was not remarkable for any particular talent, the only sign he gave of any future success in drawing, was a propensity to sketch the figure of a man or an animal upon his desk or copybook. When he left school he was put to work at the silk-weaving trade, at which, after a little practice, (for it was a more gainful employment then than now) he

*Fuller particulars of his history will be found in his Life, published by J. W. Parker, West Strand.

earned twelve or more shillings a week. In 1833 he married, following his calling, as a silk-weaver, on his own account, until he met with the accident which was the turning point both in his character and history. The good seed which had been sown in his infancy and childhood, had as yet brought forth but little fruit. He was not altogether without respect for his parents, or care for those belonging to him; but his habits were very irregular, and his companions were not the most respectable of his fellow-workmen; he loved wild mirth and rambling adventures, and spent much of his time and earnings in the public house.

One Saturday night in the month of May, 1836, he and some of his companions went to the Rookery, at Holfield Grange, and John Carter, forward in every such enterprise, was the first to ascend one of the tall trees in search of birds. When he had reached a height of about forty feet from the ground, he attempted to cross from one tree to another, but either the distance deceived him, or the branch yielded more than he had calculated upon, he missed his hold, and fell to the earth upon his back. He was taken up senseless, and from that time never moved hand or foot. On the following morning, he was conveyed home to his wife, upon a hurdle, and medical assistance was procured, but a serious injury to the spine had deprived him of all power of voluntary motion below the neck, his whole body, excepting his head and neck, was paralyzed, and death was expected in a few days. However, he continued to live, but the paralysis was perpetual. For some time he felt only distress at his bodily condition, and shame and vexation for the whole event; but to this succeeded a time of reflec

A

tion upon his spiritual state, and upon the great purpose hidden under this chastisement. He had never altogether laid aside the practice of private prayer, now he became more regular and earnest, and the 119th Psalm was his continual study. About six weeks after the accident, John Carter and his wife were received into his father's house, for the sake of economy. He was very fond of reading, and one day his wife brought home to him, the life of a young women, named Elizabeth Kinning, who, having lost the use of her hands, had learnt to draw with her mouth. He resolved to try and do the same, and began at once, sometimes drawing upon a slate, and sometimes upon pieces of paper pinned to the pillow. butterfly was one day caught in the room, and with the aid of a sixpenny box of colours, he succeeded in making a very correct representation of it. This gave him encouragement to proceed, and in a short time, he was able to sell a good many small drawings for a shilling each. Hitherto he had been accustomed to draw in various styles, but he now wished to fix upon one for his particular study and persevere in it, he found that he had most talent for line-drawing, and this he adopted though not to the entire neglect of other styles. He soon made great progress, and some of his pieces showed considerable skill; among the best are the Virgin and Child," after Albert Durer, drawn with exquisite grace; the head of King Charles I., after Vandyke, and "Innocence," the most elaborate and beautiful of all his works. One of his drawings was presented to her late Majesty the Queen Dowager, and another is in the possession of her present Majesty Queen Victoria. The posture in which John Carter drew,

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was lying, a little on his side, with his head slightly raised by pillows. A small, light, deal desk, made according to his own directions, was placed on the bed before him, on this desk the drawing-paper was fastened. The drawing to be copied, if of moderate size, was set up between the drawing-paper and the desk, or if too large for this, was suspended by tapes from the top of the bed. He first sketched in his subject with a lead pencil, which he held between his teeth, and then proceeded to the use of a very fine hair pencil, and a small saucer of Indian ink, with which he produced the most accurate and delicate touches. When we consider the difficulties he had to contend with in the pursuit of this art, we shall be surprised at his success. He was entirely dependent upon others, every thing had to be prepared for him, he could not even moisten his hair pencil himself, beside which, the evaporation in summer was very quick, and from the position in which he lay, the colour could not flow to the point of his brush, so that it had to be moistened continually. Nor was this all, he could only draw with a pencil six inches long, which brought his eye inconveniently near to the paper. John Carter was singularly humble in the possession of his talent; his favourite studies were the heads of great and good personages, especially those of eminent Saints; yet he was never known to refuse the most troublesome and unsatisfactory piece that he was requested to undertake.

On the death of his wife, in November, 1841, the care of attending upon him devolved upon his sister, Hannah Carter, who ministered to all his wants with exemplary tenderness and affection. During the summer months he

would often be brought into Church on the week days, and was at all times a worthy example of reverence and calm devotion; his repentance was deep and sincere, and he had been a communicant almost from the time of his accident. His death was hastened by an accident while riding out in his little carriage, (the body of which served him for a couch); on Whit Tuesday, May 21st, 1850, he had gone out accompanied by his sister who was his constant companion, and a little boy whom they usually engaged to draw him. The weather was beautiful, and wishing to give his sister the full enjoyment of a favourite walk, he insisted upon her leaving him, and sent her home across the fields, while he was drawn along the road. Descending a hill, the boy unfortunately tripped, the carriage was overturned,

and Carter was severely bruised and shaken by his fall. After a time the soreness of the bruises passed away, and he felt as if he were recovering from the effects of his accident, but the mischief was within, and he soon became sensibly worse. He had received the Holy Communion on Whit Sunday, two days before his fall, and was preparing himself to receive it again for the last time on Monday, July 3rd, but his death occurred on the Sunday before, earlier than was expected. John Carter's most striking virtue was patience, yet during his life he never ceased to pray for that grace. In a word, he was humble, obliging, grateful for the least kindnesses, charitable and reverent ;-abounding with such virtues we may humbly trust that his soul rests with God.

WHITE-LEAF CROSS.

White-leaf, or White-clift Cross, is the name given to the gigantic figure of a Latin Cross cut in upon the steep chalky side of one of the Chiltern hills, in the l'arish of Monks Risborough, Bucks, about seven miles south of Aylesbury. Viewed from a distance, it appears to rise perpendicularly and to stand out in relief, on a plain surface; and bursting for the first time upon the eye of the traveller, at a sudden bend of the road, it presents an awful and almost spectral apparition of the "Sign of the Son of Man," looming heavenwards above the peaceful valley, beside "the ancient and everlasting hills,"-suggestive, and, as it were, symbolically illustrative, of those words of the saintly author of the Imitation, which the writer of the following verses has

endeavoured to embody in the following stanzas. The parish of Monks Risborough takes its name from the Monks of St. Augustine, of Canterbury, to whom it was attached as a cell, and who are thought by some to be the authors of the monument; by others, it is supposed to be a trophy of victory, similar to the White Horse, gained by the Christian Saxons over the Pagan Danes have served the further purpose of a Wayside Cross. The writer's first visit to the Cross gave occasion to the lines which follow.

It may

One blessed noon in Autumn's sweetest weather,

I wandered forth a pilgrim by the way, Where God's good Providence should lead to stray,

Musing how Truth and Mercy met together.

Now by the rough road-side, now o'er the meadows,

Through the green pastures, by the waters still,

Where the gleam-tinted trees beneath the hill,

Cast round my path their vale-of-deathlike shadows.

Blessed be God! I had an open vision; Good Angels were abroad in earth and sky,

Revealing heavenly forms to Faith's purged eye,

Of Peace and Beauty, as in fields Elysian. All was an emblem in me and around me,

Betokening gifts more real than appear; High thoughts, mysterious feelings, love and fear,

Of wondrous spiritual depth and fulness bound me.

Sudden, as sent from God, a mightier token

Than yet my marvelling spirit had wrought upon!

The Sign adorable of His dear Son,

On which He once was slain, His Body broken!

In the dim distance, by the old flood riven,

The purple hill rose, looming through the mist,

Which, gilded by the noonday, crowned its crest

With saint-like halo, blending earth and heaven.

And, like an Angel's cincture, white and shining,

A silver thread belting the upland's girth, Led, as by heavenward stair, from this low earth,

To brighter vales on the eastern side declining.

Here, ghostly pale, the mighty Cross suspended

As 'twere mid air, backed by the hill's bare side.

Was graved by unknown hands in an

cient-tide,

Where, circling round its base, the path ascended.

Whether to mark the scene of battle holy, Through victory of the Saints on this fair spot;

Or hermit, here embowered in hill-side grot,

Emblemed lone peace and soul-sweet melancholy.

Or, likelier yet, blest Austin's hooded sages

Led the procession from yon sainted tower,

And raised the image here of Jesus'

power,

To point the way of future pilgrimages.

The only way to Life and Peace Internal! Way of the Holy Cross, though steep, most sure;

Seek where thou wilt, none other so secure,

Leads to the untravelled realms of bliss Supernal.*

Who dares to climb, though way-worn, faint, and weary,

Braced by Heaven's freshning gales, gains strength anew,

Sees sights to eyes below ne'er brought to view,

Peopling with glorious shapes plains waste and dreary.

Blest be the hour which led my footsteps thither,

On that sweet festival of earth and sky! Chance thoughts, so sown, bear fruit in destiny,

For good or evil, which shall never wither.

* "Non est alia via ad vitam. et ad veram internam pacem, nisi via Sanctæ Crucis. Ambula ubi vis, quære quodcunque volueris, et non invenies altiorem viam infra nec securiorem viam infra, nisi viam Sanctæ Crucis." (De Imit. Christ, lib. ii., c. 12.) "There is no other way to life, and to true Internal Peace, but the way of the Holy Cross. Go where thou wilt, search what thou wilt, there is no loftier way above or safer way below, than the way of the Holy Cross." (Imitation of Christ."

Thomas A. Kempis.