in so horrible a design for their own destruction. All was still until the appointed hour, when the fatal crash was heard, the stones of the magazine were seen rising in the air, and the whole building, with a part of the fortification, was reduced to ruins. The loss sustained by the besiegers from this explosion was considerable.

Some time had already elapsed, and the affair of the rebels had ceased to be talked of, when a priest returning home on a donkey, from a rather solitary quarter in the direction of the fort, was assailed by a man dressed in the Froberg uniform, who pointed his musket at him over the wall, and apparently intended to make him the receptacle of its contents. The affrighted father immediately took to his heels, and upon his arrival at home made known the circumstance to the police. An armed body was forthwith sent in pursuit of the bandit, which succeeded in discovering the retreat of the six poor wretches, whom it was imagined had been blown up with the magazine. Pale and emaciated they were secured with ease, and led into the town, and soon afterwards received the full reward of their inhuman deeds by a public execution.

From their own account of their escape, it appears, that during the siege they had continued to carry out one of the mines to the precincts of the fortifications, leaving but a slender wall to obstruct their retreat, which they might throw down in a moment, during the night, without any noise, when they wished to escape. Until this work was completed, they continued to make every appearance of holding out; but, when all was ready, a train of powder was laid at a sufficient distance to secure them from the effects of the explosion, and which they kindled at the precise time of their threat. It seems to have been the hope of the rebels, that in getting free from the fort, they might fall in with some vessel on the coast, and thus make their escape from the island. It afterwards appeared, that they had actually attempted to seize a small boat, upon which occasion they narrowly escaped being apprehended.

the fort; and accordingly succeeded in storming it by night, and in securing all the men, with the exception of six, who took possession of the powder-magazine, and there defied the courage of the assailants, by protesting that they would blow it up in case they persevered in their endeavours to seize them.

Of the number taken, ten were hung and fifteen musketted, on the plains of Floriana. Their execution, however, was carried on in the most inhuman and barbarous manner. Pinioned and handcuffed, they were made to kneel upon their coffins without being blindfolded, and after the first volley fired at them, several, still clinging to life, rose up and ran about the plain pursued by the soldiers like so many hares. One in particular made great efforts to escape; after stumbling close by a well into which he had attempted to throw himself, he manag: ed to reach the bastions, from which he cast himself headlong the height of one hundred and fifty feet. The soldiers in pursuit followed him to the place of his fall, where, finding that he still lived, they soon put an end to his miserable existence.

But to return to the six rebels, who continued in possession of the powder magazine. Confident of making advantageous terms with the Governor, they persisted in their obstinate resistance, and made no advances towards a surrender. From time to time some one presented himself in order to negotiate with the besiegers, but to no avail; nothing but an unconditional surrender would be listened to by the Commandant. Five days passed away in this manner, during which time all their urgent entreaties for provisions were obstinately refused, and the unfortunate wretches were reduced to a most pitiable condition. On the sixth these entreaties were pressed with additional importunities, and seconded with the threat, that in case of a refusal, or the non-assurance of pardon, they would blow up the fort as soon as the first vesper-bell tolled from St. John's cathedral. No notice was taken of this desperate menace, nor any thought entertained that these six men valued life so little as to join together

Old Humphrey's Observations.

ON LIVING IN PEACE.

"PAUL, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." Paul gave this injunction among others to the Corinthians, when he was bidding them as brethren finally farewell, "Live in peace," 2 Cor. xiii. 11.

There is no doubt his brethren at Corinth needed this exhortation, and sure I am that we need it too. Oh the warmth, the bitterness, the fierceness with which the professing followers of the meek, forbearing, and merciful Redeemer attack each other! How is the family of Christian worshippers divided against itself! How is the cup of Christian fellowship dashed with the wormwood and the gall!

Is a burning cheek, an angry eye, a hasty heart, or a clamouring tongue consistent with peace? I have known instances wherein meekness and forbearance, and charity, and brotherly love, have reclaimed a wanderer from his way of error; but no instance has yet reached me of fierceness, and intolerance, and uncharitableness, and apparent hatred, ever having convinced the judgment, or won over the affections of an offending brother.

Will it be proper defence to set up at the awful day, when accused of bitterness to a Christain brother, to say, "Lord, I knew that thou commandedst thy followers to love one another; knew that thou wert a God of peace, and that thou even enjoinedst us to love our enemies, I knew these things, and yet I did well to be angry. My brother believed in thee, and loved thee, and served thee: we had one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; we professed to be fellow sinners, bought with the same sin-atoning blood, to be animated with the same glorious hope of everlasting life, and to be journeying onward to the same heaven; but my brother would not worship in the same temple in which I worshipped, he would not use the same word in his prayers and his praises that I used; he would kneel when I stood up, and stand up when I kneeled down; and therefore I felt angry and bitter against him, and I hated him."

Is there no danger of a reply of something of this kind, "Thou wicked, unfaithful, and unprofitable servant, thou knewest the will of thy Lord, but thou preferedst to obey thy own. Thou knewest that I commanded thee to forgive thy brother his trespasses, and to dwell with him in peace and love, but thou wouldst not forgive him, and wouldst live in discord and hatred; how then dwelleth the love of God in thee! Depart from me, for the unprofitable servant shall be cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

When shall we strive to maintain the spirit of the gospel instead of our own spirit? and to obey the will of God instead of our own will? When shall we hold fast the truth without compromise, in faith and in love, fostering the kindest affections, speaking the kindest words, and doing the

kindest deeds to every member of the household of faith? When shall we "live in peace," that the God of love and peace may be with us always?

IT may be said that the course of events is so complicated and so tortuous, that conduct to harmonize with it must be tortuous also, and that, in the necessity that exists for numerous and skilful combinations, simplicity must altogether be cast aside as unsuited to the present state and necessities of the social condition. I have come to a wholly different conclusion. I deem it most important, even on these very grounds, and for these (to me at least) always secondary objects, to preserve sincerity in the means, and simplicity in the end, however extensive may be the combinations by which that end is sought to be obtained. For if, in addition to the complications of society, and to the combinations necessary to our individual success, we superadd suppressions, and those moral falsehoods, which are worse and every way more injurious than direct lies, we render success far less probable, and even in its attainment less valuable, from the recollection of the unworthy means by which it has been achieved.

I well know the process by which men are led on to this fearful state of constant insincerity in matters of worldly interest, whether of fame, riches, or power, all of which might, and yet will, I hope, be estimated at their proper value (whilst they are permitted to have any value at all), as means, and not as ends.- -Coleridge.

THE DISSOLUTION OF FRIENDSHIP. ALAS! they had been friends in youth, But whispering tongues can poison truth,

And constancy lives in realms above; And life is thorny, and youth is vain,

And to be wroth with one we love Doth work like madness in the brain;

And thus it chanced, as I divine, With Roland and Sir Leoline.

Each spoke words of high disdain,

And insult to his heart's best brother; They parted, ne'er to meet again,

But never either found another
To free the hollow heart from paining ;
They stood aloof, the scars remaining,

Like cliffs which had been rent asunder. A dreary sea now flows between;

But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder, Shall wholly do away, I ween,

The marks of that which once hath been. COLERIDGE.

-Offee

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and mountain vale and town seemed to revive with more than noon-day splendour.

Such I can imagine, and even far superior, (for the whole country has long languished through tyranny and oppression) must have been the glory of Lebanon in days of yore, when its beauty, grandeur and fertility furnished so many bold and lively figures in the strains of the Hebrew prophets. Its wine, its cedars, its "cold flowing waters," its snow, its wheat, all excelled, and all contributed to make it that "goodly mountain Lebanon," which even Moses longed to behold before his death. (Deut. iii. 25). Of it an Arabian poet has said: "Lebanon bears winter on his head, spring on his shoulders, and autumn in his bosom, while summer lies sleeping at his feet." And Isaiah, in his unrivalled imagery, makes use of a beautiful trope, drawn from this mountain, when he fortells the conversion of the heathen nations, and the results which shall follow this happy event: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abun

MOUNT LEBANON.

Village of Brummana.

'Tis now three years since I left Syria, yet the pleasing impressions produced upon my mind whilst straying over the rugged heights of Lebanon have been nothing effaced: its tow'ring summits capped with perpetual snow, or crowned with fragrant pines, and cedars, its olive plantations and vineyards, its clear fountains and pearly streams, its fertile vales and odoriferous shrubberies, are still fresh in my remembrance. Oft have I stood upon a craggy eminence and gazed with rapture on the verdant landscape which lay at my feet; or, from the top of lofty Senneen,* viewed the cloud-lost hazy Hermon far away in the south, the chain of Kesrouân to the north, the sister-Lebanon to the east, bounded by the arid desert, and the dark blue waters of the Mediterranean to the west, as it washed the Syrian shore with many a breaking wave. The plain which stretches from

the sea-shore to the foot of the mountain varies from three to six miles in width, and in some parts is surpassing lovely. The prospect, for instance, of Beyroot from o'erhanging Lebanon is at once grand and beautiful, nor perhaps can be viewed with greater advantage than from the village of Brummana. To me, the first time I made the journey, the scene was enrapturing beyond description. The stillness and calm of retiring nature was scarcely disturbed by the sleepless crickets as they chirped their tiny song from the neighbouring hills, or by the occasional howl of a wandering jackal. The sun was just about to hide his fiery disk behind his daily goal, and as he scattered his last faint rays of glowing heat, the verdant plain below was flushed with brightness, the slender minarets reflected the sparkling light,

* One of the highest peaks of Lebanon.

dantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon." (ch. xxxv. 5.)

Some hundred villages are scattered over the surface of Lebanon, often vying with each other in their picturesque situation, their fertility, or their romantic wildness;-sometimes lost in a forest of trees, or perched at the foot of a precipice, sometimes wedged among perpendicular crags, seeming to defy all access, or sunk in a narrow vale richly interspersed with wood. Among the more romantic, Brummana deserves to have a place. It is situated on two summits of a deep and narrow glen, whose precipitous sides are covered with pines and poplars, and watered with many a little spring of limpid water. The houses are built of mud

and stone, rude, but comfortable, around which are numerous gardens, the care and support of the humble tenants. The air of the village is pure and healthy, and its

elevation in the mountain secures it a temperate climate at all seasons of the year. The inhabitants are chiefly of the Greek Orthodox church, but there are also a few Maronite and Druse families among them. The Emeers or heads of the village are professedly of the Maronite creed, but there is little doubt of their being Druses. They are under the jurisdiction of the Emir Besheer, who dissembles as much as his inferiors; in fact, he it is who sets them the example in this respect.

'Tis to be regretted that the geology of Lebanon has been so little noticed. Nothing scarcely is known of the riches which it contains below its fertile surface. If the mine opened some time since was properly worked, it would yield an abundance of excellent coal. The only attempt made to obtain this mineral was at Kurnail, a village eight hours ride from Beyroot and four west of Brummana. In all this region interesting specimens of geology abound. Beside the lignite, is found an abundance of the radiated sulphuret of iron, soap-stone, pudding-stone of several kinds, many species of petrifactions and quartz, bituminous shale, and brown statactical hematite, yielding at least sixty per cent of iron. Sulphur is likewise said to be met with in different parts of the mountains, and also copper

ore.

Moreover the various sects and people who inhabit Mount Lebanon form another object worthy the philanthropic research of our more cultivated Europe. Besides Mohammedans, Maronites and Greeks, both Orthodox and Papal, there are three other sects, viz. the Mutualis, the Druses and the Ansairiyes, of whose peculiarities and tenets we know hardly any thing beyond conjecture. The present commotions in Syria, will, it is to be hoped, terminate for her welfare in every respect, and soon open her more fully to the superior benefits which our blessed land enjoys.

KING HENRY AND THE ABBOT.

KING Henry the Eighth, as he was hunting in Windsor Forest, either casually, or (more probably) wilfully, losing himself, struck down, about dinner-time, to the Abbey of Reading, where disguising himself (much for delight, more for discovery to see unseen), he was invited to the abbot's table, and passed for one of the king's guard, a place to which the proportions of his person might properly entitle him.

A sirloin of beef was set before him, so knighted, saith tradition, by this King Henry, on which the king laid on lustily, not disgracing one of that place for whom he was mistaken.

"Well fare thy heart, quoth the abbot, and here in a cup of sack I remember the health of his grace, your master. I would give one hundred pounds, on the condition I could feed so heartily on the beef as you do. Alas! my weak and squeazie stomach will hardly digest the wing of a small rabbit or chicken." The king pleasantly pledged him; and heartly thanking him for his good cheer, after dinner departed as undiscovered as he came thither.

Some weeks after, the abbot was sent for by the Pursuivant, brought up to London, clapped in the Tower, kept close prisoner, and fed for a short time with bread and water. Yet not so empty his body of food, as his mind was filled with fears, creating many suspicions to himself, when, and how, he had incurred the king's displeasure. At last a sirloin of beef was set before him, on which the abbot fed as the farmer of his grange, and verified the proverb, that two hungry meals makes the third a glutton. In springs King Henry out of a private lobby, where he had placed himself, the invisible spectator of the abbot's behaviour."My lord," quoth the king, "presently deposit your hundred pounds, or else no going hence all the days of your life; I have been your physician to cure you of your squeazie stomach; and here, as 1 deserve, I demand my fee for the same.' The abbot down with his dust, and, glad he had escaped so, returned to Reading, as somewhat lighter in purse, so much more merrier in heart than when he came thence.-FULLER'S Ecclesiastical History.

""

LIBERTY.— Civil liberty, rightly understood, consists in protecting the rights of individuals by the united force of society. Society cannot be maintained, and of course can exert no protection, without obedience to some sovereign power. And obedience is an empty name, if every individual has a right to decide how far he shall obey.Bristol Mirror.

As the lark sings at the dawn of day, and the nightingale at even, so should we show forth the loving-kindness of the Lord every morning, and his faithfulness every night.