blocks, lying on a stratum of basalt, forty or fifty feet above the level of the ocean, and terminating at the beach in perpendicular cliffs, equally high. A very general opinion prevails in Mauritius, that these have been conveyed to their present resting-places by the combined action of the waves and wind during a storm; but we have never met any one who had ocular demonstration of such a fact, and are inclined to think the explanation is scarcely adequate to the phenomenon. The ocean, agitated by a tempest, is capable of tearing up the coral beds, and throwing masses of them on the coast; but what combination of wind and waves could lift a block of some thousand tons' weight to the height of thirty or forty feet up the face of a precipitous cliff, and send it rolling over a plain for half a mile? Yet these bodies are beyond question of marine origin, and, being composed of the organic remains of the coraline and molluscous tribes which at the present day inhabit and are at work on the coasts, there is no difficulty in identifying them as part of the modern reefs. But for the proofs of their recent formation we might have supposed that they had been carried to their present situations by a sudden rise of the ocean, incident to those disturbances of a volcanic nature which were of frequent occurrence in the earlier ages of the island. And yet the transportation of these bodies by hurricanes is quite reconcilable with the extraordinary accounts of the force of whirlwinds, and other vortical commotions of the atmosphere, which are current on the spot. Thom's Inquiry into the Nature and Course of Storms. AN ARAB AUCTIONEER.-Imagine a heterogeneous crowd of dusky merchants of every nation from this side of the Cape to China, gathered around a shrivelled old Arab, the dallal, or 66 auctioneer," who is flourishing a ratan, and shouting, in a mixture of Arabic and English, "How mucha? How mucha you gib for dis? Very fine cask; plenty good new! Hein, hein? Realle humpsa!(five dollars,')-realle humpsa! realle humpsa!" Sitta! grunts a bidder, in a guttural voice; but the dallal is, unfortunately, deaf. Sitta! "six," roars the bidder in the ear of the dallal, who continues, at the highest pitch of his voice, Realle humpsa! realle humpsa! humpsa! and he raises his ratan. Sitta! shrieks the agonized bidder; upon which, finding he is not heard, he gives the dallal a thrust with his cane. Hein? hein? Realle silta! silla! sitta! While he is edifying the crowd with his eloquence on this bid, the Banyans assemble behind some shed in the neighbourhood, and consult. A group of Arabs may be seen whispering together in another quarter; then they pray awhile; then all go off, and talk in pairs. Presently a few stragglers return, and somebody sings out Sebba! "seven." Realle sitta! realle sitta! sitta! sitta ! continues the dallal, drowning in his sharp cries every voice except his own. Themama! shouts a new bidder, before the last has been heard. Tessa! cries the other, forgetting, in the slow progress of thought, that the incorrigible dallal is still shrieking, Realle sitta! realle sitta! Presently, somebody gives the auctioneer a thump under the fifth rib. Hein? hein? he cries, as if startled from a trance; "who dat?" and then all is confusion. The Banyans all come up: the Arabs join; the Sowhelese mingle in the crowd, and they all talk together. One has bid seven dollars: he is now singing out, with all his might, Asharra! "ten." Another has just bid eight dollars; a third has bid nine; and it is not known precisely who bid, or what was bid. Then there is a grand clamour, a confusion of tongues, and a commingling of Mahommedan blessings and curses unparalleled. Meantime, the dallal is busily engaged caning in the most unmerciful manner the article up for sale; said performance signifying that it is "knocked down." When asked how much he got for it, and who was the highest bidder, he is completely puzzled. Nobody knows, and in many cases it has to be sold over two or three times before there can be a thorough understanding of the matter.-Etchings of a Whaling Cruise, with Notes of a Sojourn on the Island of Zanzibar. A NICE DISTINCTION.-An old schoolfellow of Canning and Frere invited them to come and hear him preach one of his first sermons. "Well," said he, as they walked home afterwards, "and how did you like it?" "Excellently," said Canning; "but I thought your discourse rather a short one.' "Why, really," said the Preacher, much flattered, "I was resolved not to be long -I was afraid of being tedious.” “O," rejoined Canning, "but you were tedious."-Quarterly Review. DESTRUCTION OF BOOKS. The destruction of books at various times exceeds all calculation. The earliest fact on record is related by Berosus: Nabonassar, who became King of Babylon 747 years before the Christian era, caused all the histories of the Kings, his In been burnt in the frequent conflagrations at Constantinople; and when the Turkish troops took possession of Cairo, in the eleventh century, the books in the library of the Caliphs (1,600,000 volumes) were distributed among the soldiers instead of pay, "at a price," says the historian, "far below their value." Thousands of the volumes were torn to pieces and abandoned on the outskirts of the city, piled in large heaps. The sand of the Desert having been drifted on these heaps, they retained their position for many years, and were known as the "hills of books."-Sun. POETRY. THE DEAD IN CHRIST. (BY HENRY VAUGHAN,-BORN 1621, DIED 1695.) THEY are all gone into the world of light, Their very memory is fair and bright, It glows and glitters in my cloudy breast, Or those faint beams in which this hill is drest, I see them walking in an air of glory, Whose light doth trample on my days; My days, which are at best but dull and hoary, O holy Hope! and high Humility, High as the heavens above! These are your walks, and you have show'd them me To kindle my cold love. Hail, beauteous Death! the jewel of the just, Shining nowhere but in the dark; What mysteries do lie beyond thy dust, Could man outlook that mark! He that hath found some fledged bird's nest, may know At first sight if the bird be flown; But what fair well or grove it sings in now, That is to him unknown. O Father of eternal life, and all Created glories under Thee! Resume thy spirit from this world of thrall Either disperse these mists which blot and fill Or else remove me hence unto that Hill RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.In concluding their Annual Report, the Committee observe, 1. In the first place, how the Lord is blessing the Society's work abroad. In proof of this fact, they appeal to the increase of converts, to the grace manifested by so many of them, and to the evident establishing, strengthening, and settling of our principal Missions. They appeal also to the favour given to our Missions in the sight of the Heathen; such as, the support afforded by the heathen Chiefs of Abbeokuta; the protection of our Missionaries by the heathen tribes of East Africa; the welcome given by the heathen population of Travancore to a zealous Missionary returning to his work; and the toleration now granted in Turkey and China. They appeal, also, to the open doors which the providence of God is setting before the Society; such as an invitation given to it by a zealous naval officer to follow up the benevolent enterprise at the Gallinas, which he had achieved by naval force; a voice from Scinde; and a special call to the Punjab. In one and the same letter, lately received from Calcutta, applications for help were conveyed from the widely-separated localities of Bhagulpur, Delhi, Deyrah, Assam, Penang, and the Punjab; and the letter added, "Many more similar calls would be made, could the Society hold out any hope of meeting them." Can we refuse to regard such appeals as an honour put upon us by the Lord? 2. Again, the Committee observe, how the Lord is upholding, in the most essential respects, the instrumentality of the Society. During the last year we have taken into employment more than an average number of Missionaries, while fewer have been withdrawn by ill health or death; and at this time the number of labourers-and it is the Lord's prerogative to send forth labourers into His vineyard is larger than it has ever been before. The ordained Missionaries alone number seven more than at any previous period. 3. Further, the Committee remark, how those who profess to be fellowhelpers in this work are aiding the Society by their prayers and contributions. Of the prayers which are offered up, no estimate can be formed by man; they go up as a memorial before God. May He pour down the Spirit of grace and supplications, that they may be increased a hundred-fold! Of the contributions to the Society, the financial statement gives the account. The income for the year, including General, Special, and Local Funds, is £104,273. 6s. 10d. LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.The visitations of affliction and death among the Society's devoted Missionaries have been mercifully few of one hundred and seventy-one, only the Rev. B. Southwell, of Shanghae, has been removed by death; and but two others have been compelled to relinquish the work from personal or domestic suffering; while their places have been supplied by new labourers who have entered the Mission-field. The number of Native Agents, which, at the publication of the last Report, was about seven hundred, has increased; although, from various unavoidable causes, the exact amount cannot be stated. The Missionary ship has accomplished her second visit to those islands of the New Hebrides in which Missions have been commenced; and, instead of having to report, as on former occasions, the murder of Native Teachers by the savage islanders, they were found in safety, and steadily pursuing their Christian labours, undismayed by the difficulties and dangers to which they were incessantly exposed. In Rarotonga, Mangaia, and Aitutaki, the several islands of the Hervey Group, our Missionaries are steadily prosecuting their varied labours, both for the social and spiritual welfare of the people. The effects of the desolating hurricane of 1846 were fast disappearing before the hand of Industry and the smiles of Providence, while the Native Churches were increasing in numbers, intelligence, and Christian zeal. From Mangaia, where the population does not exceed 3,600, the returns for 1848 (those for 1849 not having yet arrived) present the following most gratifying particulars:-Total number of church members, 518; candidates for church fellowship, 30; professed converts, but seeking further instruction, 455; making a total of 1,003, more than a third part of the adult population. The number of children in the several schools exceeds 1,000. Nearly the whole population of the island profess the Christian faith, and attend the public worship of God. Their contributions for the year amounted to £120; an example of liberality, considering their very limited resources, almost unexampled in the history of modern Missions. The Tahitian Churches have generally received numerous accessions, while they have also exhibited progressive improvement in Christian character. The state and prospects of our various South African Missions cannot be better described than in the following extract from Mr. Freeman's letters : "Besides the various Mission Churches within the colony, containing an aggre gate of upwards of 2,000 communicants, we have 1,800 members in church fellowship on this, the north side of the Orange River; that is, among native tribes living beyond the boundaries of the Colonial Government, Bechuanas, Griquas, and Corannas. I exclude Caffreland, as that is now more properly within the colony called British Caffraria, and is altogether distinct from these Missions. Their Auxiliaries raise about £500 per annum, which is one-fifth of the expense they incur; and thus it will be seen, that even these Missions, which embrace so largely the poor of Africa, raise their proportion equally with others." China. The vast and all but boundless extent of the field, the countless myriads of the native population, the moral degradation universally prevalent, and the remarkable facilities which Divine Providence affords for Missionary exertion, are all confirmed by the suc cessive communications of our Missionaries in that distant empire. The social and moral aspect of India is undoubtedly improving. In the various districts in which Christian Missions have long been in operation, their influence on the minds of the Hindoos is powerful and extensive. The actual increase of our Mission churches during the year has been, especially in Southern India, unusually encouraging. The income for the year amounts to £62,545. 08. 11d.--Missionary Magazine. BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. -The Missionaries sustained by the Society labour in Asia, on the western coast of Africa, in France, and in the islands of the Western Sea. The service of Christ is carried on in this extensive field by forty-eight brethren, with their wives, and nine females engaged in the special department of education. It has been, however, one of the blessed results of their toil, that from the midst of the converts there have been raised up, by the grace of God, not less than 120 natives of the different lands where the Gospel has been proclaimed by our brethren, to aid them in the further extension of the Redeemer's kingdom. About 180 other Christian brethren gratuitously devote more or less of their time in making known the unsearchable riches of Christ. To these must be added 30 or more Schoolmasters. The labours of the Missionaries may be divided into three departments:-1. Translation; 2. Evangelization; 3. Education. 1. Translation. Although no new language has this year been undertaken, much progress has been made in several versions, and copies of portions of the Divine testimony have, in large numbers, left the press. 2. Evangelization. Every opportunity is seized by the Missionaries and their companions in labour, the native Preachers and Catechists, to extend the knowledge of the glad tidings of God's love to man. Wide excursions are made in the neighbourhood of the stations, and the seed is sown with a liberal hand. As the result of these self-denying labours, and the Divine blessing resting upon them, there are under the pastoral care of the brethren, and of the native converts chosen to the pastorate, one hundred and eight Christian churches,-cases of spiritual life in the midst of deserts and death. There are at present in fellowship in India and Ceylon, 1,962 persons; in Africa and the West Indies, 3,007; making, in all, nearly 5,000 professed disciples of Christ, and about 350 seeking admission into the fold, exclusive of Jamaica. The clear increase during the year has been 188. The most flourishing of the Mission churches are to be found in Bengal and the Bahama islands. 3. Education. The training of young men of native origin for the ministry has not, to the Committee's regret, proceeded so favourably in every case as they could wish. Adverse influences, alluded to in last year's Report, have led to the closing of the College of Montreal. The Institution at Calabar, Jamaica, must be regarded as ntirely successful. During the year, the Committee have been engaged in anxious deliberation on an offer made by John Marshman, Esq., respecting Serampore College. At present the whole matter is under consideration. LONDON CITY MISSION. The Committee report, with great thankfulness, that they have been enabled during the past year to add twenty-eight to the number of their Missionaries. Their Missionaries are, therefore, now two hundred and forty-two. Among the new districts occupied have been several which urgently required Missionary effort. The total number of visits paid by the Missionaries during the past year has been 1,018,436. The tracts distributed have amounted to 1,197,953. The number of meetings for prayer and familiar exposition of the Scriptures has been 19,931. The adults prevailed on regularly to attend public worship have been 2,803; children sent to school, 5,168. The number of individuals, through the Missionaries' instrumentality, admitted to the Lord's supper, has been 554. The number of shops which have been closed on the Sunday is 102. It is a cause of much thankfulness to the Committee to report to their friends that these numbers, with those before referred to, exhibit a considerable increase of both labour and result. The number of visits paid exceed those of last year (notwithstanding the extensive illness of the Missionaries this year) by 66,354. In visits to the sick and dying the increase is 7,657. In meetings held there has been an increase of 1,765; in tracts distributed, an increase of 46,136; and in Bibles, 479. In readings of the Scriptures during visitation, the increase is 18,680. In the number of persons induced to attend public worship, the increase 67; in persons admitted to church communion, the increase 42; in the number of shops closed on the Sunday, the increase 25. The number of adults who died under the visitation of the Missionaries, was 1,933 above that of last year; and the number of these unvisited, except by the Missionaries, was increased 738. So far as it is possible for man to form a judgment, the general usefulness of the Missionaries, during the past year, in the conversion of souls, and in their various efforts for the moral and religious improvement of the districts, appears to have been fully equal to what has hitherto been the case. Without pretending to mention exact numbers, it may safely be reported, that some thousands of cases have occurred during the year of outward reformation of life, and of religious impressions produced on the mind, which, in some cases, has already led, and, in other cases, it may be hoped, will eventually lead, to true conversion to God. The Italian Missionary has met with an acceptance this year far beyond what has hitherto been the case. The events which have recently transpired in Italy have exceedingly assisted him. A larger number of Italians have been in London than is usual; and so strong a feeling The French Missionary, working under the superintendence of M. Martin, finds the number of French families continually increase on him. Two Irish Missionaries have been employed during the past year, who have spoken to the Irish in their visitation of them in the Irish tongue, and who have also held meetings among them in the same language. One of these Missionaries has been located in St. Giles's, and the other in the east of London. Two Missionaries have also had the visitation of the Police intrusted to them. One of them writes:-" Of the constables of the Metropolitan Division, I feel justified in saying, that a very great improvement has taken place among them since I first became acquainted with them. I can reckon up nearly one hundred men who used to neglect public worship who now attend as regularly as their duties will allow them." The Missionaries to the cabmen and to the Jews have been usefully employed during the year. But the limits of this Report will not allow details to be given of their operations. The large amount of voluntary agency called into exercise through the Mission is another incidental, but most important, benefit resulting from its operations. On one Missionary's district thirty-one voluntary visiters of the poor are at work as tract-distributers, twenty of whom are members of Christian churches, the fruit of his own labours. Many new Ragged Schools have been formed by the Missionaries during the past year. Of the one hundred and thirty-five voluntary Teachers in Ragged Schools, by far the greater proportion have been obtained by the Missionaries' efforts.-Fifteenth Annual Report. JEWISH MISSION OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.-The Report two years ago presented a large amount |