Prince, and all the passengers and sailors perished, excepting one man. A. 15. The King was so grieved by his loss, that he is said never to have smiled again. A. 16. King Kenry the First died in the year 1135. QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH HISTORY. (To be answered in our next.) Quest. 1. Did Henry the First leave a son behind him ? Q. 2. Did he leave a daughter? Q. 3. What was that daughter's name? Q. 4. Ought not she to have been Queen? Q. 5. Who did actually take possession of the throne? Q. 6. What relation was Stephen to Matilda ? Q. 7. Whose son was Stephen? Q. 8. Did Stephen and Matilda contend for the throne? Q. 10. What was his name? Q. 13. Did Stephen's son live to be King? Q. 15. Who was King after Stephen's death? A CONVERTED THIEF. V. LET none despair of the success of their efforts to benefit their fellow-creatures! It is true that many of those offenders, who are committed to prison, come out worse characters than they went in. It is of immense importance to seek to lead these miserable creatures into the right way, and to give them that instruction in prison which they have never had before. Much has occurred to discourage the supporters of prison schools and penitentiaries. But still there are many instances where much good has been done. About three years since, a draper of Yarmouth discovered that a lad in his service had stolen his property. The culprit was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to seven 1833.] 66 years' transportation; but, there being favourable traits in his general character, application was made to the Home Office, and the punishment was mitigated to five years' confinement in the Milbank Penitentiary. On the expiration of three years, his good conduct induced the authorities to release him, when he immediately made his way to Yarmouth, called on his former employer, and, in the spirit of a sincere penitent, expressed his sorrow for his dishonesty and ingratitude to so good a master, and, said he, Sir, I have taken care of the money that I took away, your property, and which I now return." The gentleman was surprised at the announcement; but, seeing him direct his hand to his pocket, began to expect a few pounds. How great was his astonishment, then, when the lad handed him no less a sum than 1027. 16s. 6d.-Struck with so unexpected a fact, and with admiration for his conduct, he requested the young man to accept a few pounds; but all he could prevail on him to take was the 21. 16s. 6d., although he was really in needy circumstances.-Essex Herald. PURE AIR, PLAIN DIET, CONSTANT OCCUPATION, A GOOD LIFE, AND A GREEN OLD AGE. THERE are now living at the small and thinly-peopled parish of Llanrûg, in the county of Carnarvon, the following persons, all above 75 years of age: N.B. Jane Pierce, aged 87, (the first-named person) does not keep a servant, but does all her house business His wife 76 John Jones 76 His wife. 76 herself. She does not use a stick in walking. In the parish of Bangor, about four years ago, there lived in the same house a man and a woman, the first aged 103, the last 97. The man walked to church, (a distance of two miles,) within one year of his death. SIR, A WELSH RECTOR. A PRAYER FOR MY BIRTH-DAY. I SEND you the following Prayer, thinking it may express the feelings of some of your readers, as well as it did those of its author. I remain yours, &c. D. I. E. O Almighty and eternal God, the Lord of life and death, who hast made all things, and for whose pleasure they are and were created, I praise and glorify thy holy name, for the manifestation of thy wisdom, power, and goodness, in the work of my creation! Most heartily do I adore thee, because thou wast pleased, as on this day, to call me to the light of life. O Lord, when I consider the workmanship of my mere mortal body, the excellent gift of reason and understanding, the lively affections of the heart, fitted as they all are to promote my happiness and thy glory, and above all the inestimable value of my never-dying soul; most earnestly do I give thanks unto thee, for I feel that I am indeed fearfully and wonderfully made! But more especially do I praise thee for thy great love and mercy shown forth towards me, in that thou didst not give me my portion amongst heathens, infidels, or heretics; but hast graciously caused me to be born of Christian parents in this blessed land, where thou art truly known; and allowed me to be received, in my early years, into the communion of thy holy Church, and to be instructed in the blessed doctrines and lovely precepts of thy most holy Word. I thank Thee, moreover, for thy goodness, in preserving me alive amidst all perils and dangers of this evil world, and for all the numberless and nameless blessings which thou hast given me so richly to enjoy! But, O Righteous and All-seeing God, I know that I am utterly unworthy of all thy goodness and loving-kindness, which thou hast vouchsafed unto me! Most hum 1833.] A PRAYER FOR MY BIRTH-DAY. 235 bly do I confess that I have not been duly mindful of thy manifold and great blessings; too often have I disregarded, and even despised thy benefits; and oh, how many, how grievous, and how oft-repeated have been my trangressions of thy holy will and commandments! I have done amiss, and dealt very wickedly, and most deeply offended against thy Divine Majesty ;-yet, O merciful and gracious Lord God, have pity upon me, and for thy name's sake pardon my sin, for it is great! Forgive the errors and faults of my childish years, the transgressions and follies of my youth, and all the sins, negligences, and ignorances, of my whole life! Blot them out, I pray thee, from the book of thy remembrance, for the sake of thy dear son Jesus Christ! Wash them thoroughly away in the fountain of his most precious blood! Give me― weak, corrupt, and sinful creature that I am-that powerful and gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, to guide me in my going out and coming in, and to keep me in all my ways, from this time forth for evermore! I am thine by creation, thine by redemption, thine by my baptism and Christian profession, and by all the obligations which thy mercy has laid upon me! I desire to be thine by a willing and cheerful service! I therefore now, on this day, present myself, my soul and body, to be unto thee a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice! I pray thee, accept the offering,-poor and unworthy though it be,and grant that it may become yearly, daily, and hourly, more and more acceptable in thy sight, so that every return of this solemn and much-to-be-remembered day, in proportion as it brings me nearer to my final dissolution, may find me so much better prepared for it; and that, at the last, whenever thou shalt be pleased to take away the life which thou hast freely given, I may be enabled to pass through the dark valley of the shadow of death, without fear or amazement, and sanctified wholly from sin, in body, soul, and spirit, I may be received into the mansions of heavenly glory, there to enjoy the pleasures of a new and eternal life, after which there shall be no more death;-for the sake of the all-sufficient merits and atonement of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen. D. I. E. HINTS FOR CULTIVATING COTTAGE GARDENS. THE following extract from the Gardener's Magazine cannot fail, I think, to be useful to some of the readers of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. After having observed that few men, in constant work, can manure and cultivate more than half an acre, with profit to themselves and with justice to the master who employs them, the writer goes on to say " But supposing a man can cultivate that quantity of land, the next thing to be considered is, how can he manage it with the most advantage, and, at the same time, as little labour as possible? In this respect, it will be found that the common race of labourers require a good deal of advice and instruction. Those acquainted with the habits of the labouring classes are aware that their knowledge of gardening is not great; and that, generally speaking, they care little for any thing beyond the more common kinds of vegetables. In the parish in which I live, I seldom observe any thing in a cottage garden but potatoes, cabbages, and beans; and, in a few instances, onions and parsnips, and now and then a few peas. Cabbages are the favourite vegetable, and therefore the chief crop in our cottage gardens; and, for winter-greens, I generally find a plot of rape, which they transplant from the fields, and which is said to be very productive, and to make excellent greens. Bacon is a favourite meat, and they cultivate the sorts of vegetables which eat best with it. Supposing, then, that a labourer had half an acre of ground: one-fourth of this, if made the most of, will be sufficient to produce all his favourite vegetables, except his potatoes; the next question will therefore be, how is he to crop the remaining parts? Some would say, with potatoes; but I should say, partly with potatoes, and partly either with wheat or barley; and for this good reason, because the straw of either grain would litter the pig, and give manure for the land afterwards. I think that the chief use of labourers having land is, that it enables them to keep pigs, and to eat more meat and fewer potatoes. A labouring family, to live as they ought to live, should kill two pigs in every year. Let us suppose, then, that the remaining three |