convulsions that agitate the world. All things are here perishable and perishing. Happiness is a name; riches are uncertain; health remains not with us;-life itself is quickly at an end. But eternity hath no end; the state for which we are placed in this world of trial to prepare ourselves, is infinite, boundless, everlasting!" KENT EAST INDIAMAN. THE Occurrences which we read of in the Daily Papers, afford a supply of matter, which may be turned to great improvement, if we consider them aright. We do not very often, however, read a more painfully interesting account, than that of the loss of the Kent Indiaman, on the first of March, in the Bay of Biscay. This fine ship had about six hundred persons on board, consisting, besides the crew, of women, children, soldiers, and other pas sengers. Some spirits escaped out of a cask; and a candle, which was in a lanthorn, fired the spirits, and the ship was soon in a blaze. Few things can be more dreadful than a ship on fire; there seems scarcely a chance of a single person escaping. By the merciful guidance of Providence, a ship had, by contrary winds, for some time been detained in the Bay of Biscay; and was, in consequence of this, just within sight of the distress. This was a small ship, commanded by a brave and benevolent Officer, Captain Cooke. He came to the assistance of the "Kent;" and by the extraordinary exertions of himself and his crew, he was enabled to take more than five hundred of the people from the Kent into his ship; nearly ninety however perished, sixty of whom were soldiers. Captain Cooke's vessel (the "Cambria") was only calculated for carrying a Kent East Indiaman. 261 small number of persons; she had about a hundred and fifty passengers on board, chiefly miners, going to South America. The Captain, however, nobly gave up his own object, and brought home safely to England those whom he had been the means of saving. So large a number crowded in so small a ship, put the whole in great danger of perishing from suffocation; which they would have done if the voyage had been long; but most providentially the wind continued fair, until they landed at Falmouth; it immediately shifted to the North; if it had shifted sooner, they could not have landed, and their misery would have been extreme. It would be too long for us to relate all the circumstances of this extraordinary deliverance. Of the actual crew belonging to the ship, it is said that only one man perished. It will hardly be believed, that, in such a scene, the thoughts of any one could turn to any but the most awful subjects. Yet it is said that this man actually went down below deck, and forced open an officer's box, and took out a large bag of sovereigns. This plunder he tied round his body. The weight of it prevented him from jumping far enough to reach the boat in which he was attempting to escape. He fell into the water, and the weight drew him instantly to the bottom. Our readers will make their own remarks on these events. And there is much profitable reflexion to be derived from them. We are not very willing generally to record the providential interferences which we read of, because an ill use is sometimes made of them. Still we cannot doubt but that every occurrence is in the hands of the Almighty; though we must not expect that He will always clearly shew to us His will, in the present events of our lives. The Christian looks to an "hereafter."-Still we see enough, even here, to make us "mark," and to teach us to "improve" too, if we will but allow ourselves to be taught. ANTIDOTE AGAINST POISON. "A Correspondent in the Literary Gazette states, that a desert spoonful of made mustard, mixed in a tumbler of water, and drank immediately, is a certain and immediate remedy when poison has been accidentally taken it acts as an emetic, and may be used with safety in any case where an emetic is required. A gentleman who had taken by mistake, an ounce of poison, instead of salts, preserved his life by taking the mustard directly. The above recipe is extracted from the "Bath Journal." It is true that mustard will act as an emetic, and it is very useful to know this, in cases where immediate assistance is required, and where a regular emetic cannot be procured. It is however going rather too far to say that this will be an immediate cure when poison has been taken; for, in many such cases, emetics will not act at all. When burning poison, like oxalic acid, has been taken, a large quantity of water swallowed serves to dilute the poison, and thus lessen its strength, and, if a feather be introduced into the throat, the stomach, filled with water, will very probably part with it, and with the poison at the same time. This is a sort of remedy always at hand; the mustard having a tendency to act as an emetic, might be likely to be of still farther use. But it is dangerous to say more than the truth of even the best things. The antidotes (or cures for poisons) will depend very much upon the nature of the poison. If it were so very easy a thing to empty the stomach of poison, there would have been no occasion to have recourse to the newly invented machine, for pumping out the injurious contents. V. On Epitaphs. ON EPITAPHS. 263 To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR, THE remarks on Epitaphs in your March Number for last year, are worthy the attention of every reader of your pleasing little Magazine. Having so well accounted for the similarity and bad composition of such inscriptions, it is to be hoped some improvement will arise from your observations. The early loss of relatives, has from childhood rendered the solemnity of a church-yard peculiarly interesting to me; and, whilst contemplating the grave of the widow, my heart has been often raised in gratitude to that Being who has declared himself to be “a Father to the fatherless." Many texts of Scripture would be better than even good poetry ;-but, if a poetical inscription be preferred, portions of the Sacred Writings might be rendered into verse, by some person who is able to do it well, and the survivors of the deceased would be instructed and improved by the tribute of affection to a departed friend. I am, Sir, yours respectfully, CENTO. May 16, 1824. Job xix. 25-27. I know that he whose years can ne'er decay, Then shall this mangled skin new form assume, Job i. 20. Peace every murmur! naked into birth Job v. 8-10. Instead of murmur, with repenting tear QUESTIONS FROM THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I HAVE now, in the Letters of J. Steady to his Son, given my young readers an insight into the History of England. Those who have occasion to go farther into the subject, will, by consulting other Histories of England, be enabled to add to their knowledge on this subject; to such as those, our little sketch will have perhaps been found useful as an introduction. Those who are disposed to content themselves with what has been written in these Letters, may perhaps find it necessary to go over them again, to recover such parts as may have slipped their memories. To assist their endeavours, Tintend to put a few Questions in each Number, beginning with William the Conqueror. I need not give the Answers, as they may be found by turning back to what has been written:-and this kind of practice will be found very useful, and is, I am persuaded, one of the best methods to become thoroughly |