THESE animals belong to the Cavy tribe, which holds a sort of middle place between the Mouse tribe, and the Hare tribe. The Guinea-pig is sometimes called the "Restless Cavy."

The Guinea-pig is found in South America, but it is supposed to have been originally brought from Guinea, as its name seems to show. These pretty animals, as we well know, are easily tamed, and are very common among us in a domesticated state. In this state, they feed upon bread, and grain, and fruit, and vegetables. They are very harmless and timid. When kept in a room, they seldom cross the floor, but generally creep round by the wall. Their motions are somewhat like those of the rabbit, they stroke their head with their fore feet, and sit on their hind legs as rabbits do. They are fond of dark hiding-places, and seldom venture out when danger is near. When about to quit their hiding-places, they stop to listen, and look about them, before they venture to search for their food: and, on the least alarm, they run back again to their retreat. They are so clean in their habits, that, if the young ones happen to be dirtied, the mother takes such a dislike to them, that she will not suffer them to come near her. This is carrying the matter rather too far; though we should like to see all mothers careful to keep their children clean. Guinea-pigs are fond of smoothing and dressing their fur, after the manner of a cat. They begin to breed at a very early age, and produce three or four young ones at a time, and

1839.] SIN BRINGS MISERY IN THIS WORLD, &c. 23 sometimes as many as a dozen, so that out of a single pair, a large stock may very soon be raised.-Chiefly from Bingley's Animal Biography.

SIN BRINGS MISERY IN THIS WORLD, AS WELL AS IN THE NEXT.

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THE word of God tells us that "godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come And the experience of every sincere follower of Christ enables him to confirm the truth of this.

And sin, on the other hand, has the misery of this life, and of that which is to come. Whence arise the miseries and torments which distract private life? Come they not from unrestrained passions, and sinful lusts, and selfish dispositions? The spirit of the Gospel in the heart, would have so checked these evil inclinations, that all the sad consequences of them would have been avoided. Whence come the quarrels and violence, and grievous sufferings which we, every day, hear of and read of? whence but from listening to the dictates of our own corrupt nature, and the temptations of ungodly companions, and from resisting the influence of that Spirit which would have guarded the soul from all this misery, delivered it from ruin, and prepared it for everlasting happiness. Perhaps there is no crime that produces greater misery, in this world, than drunkenness; it leads to all other crimes, and will account for the greater part of the wretchedness which distracts individuals and families. The religion of Christ, received into the heart, would, at once, put an end to this:-for drunkenness is positively forbidden in Scripture; and the eternal destruction to which it leads, is there plainly stated; for drunkards are classed, by the apostle, among those who "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Yes, it certainly is true, that an earnest attention to the instruction contained in the word of God, would prevent the greater part of the miseries which men suffer in this world. But the effects of a right reception of the Gospel of Christ, extend far

11 Tim. iv. 8.

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beyond the power of merely restraining men from sin, and rescuing them from its fatal consequences. The true follower of Christ not only desires to cease to do evil,” but to "learn to do well." Pardoned through his Saviour's sacrifice, and renewed by His Spirit, he is daily seeking to "grow in grace," to make progress in godliness, to advance in all that is holy and good. Peace and happiness attend this progress; and all the blessed and merciful promises of the Gospel are with it ;-and its end is everlasting life.

NORTHERN REGIONS.

V.

MOST of our readers have probably heard of the attempts which have been made for these many years past to discover a passage, by water, over the northern part of Ame

1839.]

NORTHERN REGIONS.

25

rica. We have heard of the expeditions of Captains Parry, Franklin, Ross, Back, and other eminent persons in our own day; and many, besides these, of an earlier date. Though, however, it may perhaps be now considered true that there is such a passage, yet this discovery can be only looked upon as an addition to our knowledge, and cannot be expected to produce any important result in the way of utility: for portions of the sea which are at one time open, and give free passage to ships, are, at another time, completely closed in by ice, of which enormous masses or rocks, called icebergs, some fixed, and some floating, present a complete resistance to further progress, and often threaten destruction to every vessel that approaches them.

The accompanying prints may give some little notion of the situation in which the vessels of the enterprising voyagers may, at times, be found.

The Hecla and Fury were two ships in Captain Parry's expedition, in search of the N. W. passage. The following extracts are from a little work called "Voyages in the Arctic Seas from 1821 to 1825."

On the 30th (of July, 1822) it blew a hard gale, with constant rain from the northward, which soon brought the

ice closer and closer, till it pressed with considerable violence on both ships, though the most on the Fury, which lay in a very exposed situation. The Hecla received no damage but the breaking of two or three hawsers, and a part of her bulwark, torn away by the strain upon them; but the Fury was forced on the ground, during the night, and, though afterwards got off, received much injury.

On the 1st of August we endeavoured to make our way through a narrow, and not very close stream of ice touching the shore. But, the wind suddenly freshening, we were instantly beset, and in such a manner as to be rendered literally helpless and unmanageable. We drifted with the ice for some little way, until the Hecla struck the ground forcibly several times, in the space of a hundred yards, and, being then brought up, remained immoveable. The Fury had scarcely passed us a hundred yards, when she too was forced directly upon a grounded mass of ice upon the beach. This was, indeed, a fatal accident; for, though she came off the ground on the following day, she was so severely damaged by the shock, that she was found to take in water by several leaks; and she was obliged to be abandoned, after it was found to be impossible to repair the injuries which she had received.

INVENTION AND APPLICATION OF MACHINERY.

THE poor are in a complete mistake when they believe that the invention and application of machinery is the cause of distress to them. Machinery does a much greater quantity of work in the same time than could be done without it; the price of any article is therefore so much lowered by it, and the sale is increased to so large an amount, that ten times more people are employed in manufactories, than were employed before modern machinery was invented; so that there is, upon the whole, much more employment for the poor than there was, before the extended use of machinery and clothing and other things are a great deal cheaper for it, which must be a vast advantage to the poor in their own purchases; and leaves others more money to spend to employ them. A few poor people may be the worse for