to the family, and a matron has charge of the domestic arrangement of the house. Parents, guardians, or friends of ability to pay for the education of their children in this institution, are informed that the charge for instruction, boarding, lodging, and washing, is one hundred and sixty dollars per annum, one half payable in advance. Mission to the Osages of the Missouri. THIS Interesting family, consisting of forty-one souls, has been collected from seven different states, and what is not less pleasing, from different sections of the Christian Church, who have harmoniously combined their exertions in the work of evangelizing the heathen. On Monday evening, the 5th of March, they were publicly set apart to their of fice, in the Associate Reformed Church in Murray-street. On the following evening, religious exercises were attended in the Middle Dutch Church, when the instructions to the missionaries were read. On both these occasions the churches were crowded to overflowing, and collections for the benefit of the mission were received, amounting in the whole to more than six hundred dollars.-On Wednesday, at two o'clock, the board of directors held a meeting, for the last time, with the missionaries, in the Consistory Room in Garden-street. It was truly an affecting scene. After the formal delivery of the commission and instruc tions, the audience united in singing a very appropriate Hymn. The family were commended to God in prayer. A parting hymn was sung by the missionary family; when the benediction was pronounced, and the missionaries were accompanied to the steam-boat Atalanta, where they embarked amid the tears and prayers of multitudes of our citizens, cheerfully setting their faces toward the wilderness, for the love they bore to the heathen. Anecdote of George III. (From a recent English publication.) THE venerable monarch who has swayed the sceptre of this mighty em pire for a much longer period than any of his predecessors of any age,and whose reign has been distinguished by events never surpassed in the history of the world,-now sleeps with his fathers, leaving recollections of reverence mixed with sensibility, sympathy, and respect, through the wide extent of his vast dominions. He mounted the throne in the prime and brilliancy of youth, the first native prince of his house; firm in his character, correct in his conduct, conciliating in his manners, constitutional in his government, and equally beloved and respected in every period of his reign. The glories and the blessings of his reign exceed beyond all comparison the disasters and the inconveniences, from which the history of nations and the progress of society are never wholly exempted; and to those glories and blessings, the firm character, the correct conduct, and the conciliating manners of the king, very essentially contributed. His religious and moral character shed something like a sacred lustre round the clouds under which his sun hovered for a series of years to its setting. His reverence for religion, and his regard for the Church of which he was the temporal head, (without infringing the rights of any other church, or the claims of genuine toleration) were uniform and habitual, and had an influence remembered with feelings of gratitude, in the nation which will, I trust, be long and imitated with sincerity. Permit me to mention one remarkable anecdote, as fine and fair a mark of character as is to be found in the life of any monarch. He was crowned at the age of twenty three, by the archbishop (Secker) who baptized him, confirmed him, and admitted him to his first communion. After the coronation, he had to receive the holy communion. Actuated by a just impulse of Christian humility, he asked the archbishop, 'What is the rule? shall I advance wearing the crown, or shall I lay it aside?' A consultation was held, but no rule could be found or furnished in such circumstances. Then," " said the youthful monarch, "I myself will make a rule," and he laid his crown aside on the steps of the altar. Such consideration in one so young, in circumstances so peculiar, surrounded with all the pomp of power and pride of life, which the youthful imagination is apt to paint so fair and deem so permanent; such consideration, in such circumstances, marks a character of no common cast: While the promptitude and propriety of his resolution in the acknowledged absence or ignorance of all precedent, denotes a decision and readiness of mind which he often displayed in after life, in cases of difficulty and danger, when his counsellors were agitated with doubt, inclined to hesitate, or disposed to temporize. 1 Last Moments of Mrs. Wesley. 66 - (From Southey's Life of Wesley.) To this stage Methodism had advanced when Wesley lost his mother, in a good old age, ready and willing to depart. Arriving in London from one of his circuits, he found her " on the borders of eternity; but she had no doubt or fear, nor any desire but, as soon as God should call, to depart and to be with Christ." On the third day after his arrival, he perceived that her change was near. "I sate down," he says, on the bed-side. She was in her last conflict, unable to speak, but I believe quite sensible. Her look was calm and serene, and her eyes fixed upward, while we commended her soul to God. From three to four the silver cord was loosing, and the wheel breaking at the cistern; and then, without any struggle, or sigh, or groan, the soul was set at liberty. We stood round the bed, and fulfilled her last request, uttered a little before she lost her speech: Children, as soon as I am released, sing a psalm of praise to God." He performed the funeral service himself, and thus feelingly describes it: "Almost an innumerable company of people being gathered together, about five in the afternoon I committed to the earth the body of my mother, to sleep with her fathers. The portion of Scripture from which I afterwards spoke was, 'I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand, before God; and the books were open ed, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.' It was one of the most solemn assemblies I ever saw, or expect to see, on this side eternity." Union of the Scottish Church. THE two branches of the Secession Church in Scotland have united, after a separation of seventy-three years.. Their respective synods are dissolved, and their powers conferred upon a new body, composed of both parties, and entitled "The United Associate Synod." Christ. Observ. Preferments. THE REV. EDMUND D. BARRY, D. d. late Principal of the Episcopal Academy in the city of New-York, has been appointed Professor of Languages in the University of Maryland: and JAMES RENWICK, Esq. Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Che mistry in Columbia College, N. York. For the Christian Journal. On entering Church for public Worship. [The words from the Church Service] O ETERNAL GOD, mighty in power, and of majesty incomprehensible, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, and who yet hast been pleased to promise thy especial presence, wherever two or three of thy faithful servants shall assemble in thy name: Webeseech thee in thy great goodness now to be present, and receive the prayers and in... tercessions of thy servants who draw night to thee in this thy house. Give us grace to prepare our hearts to serve thee with reverence and godly fear: affect us with an awful apprehension of thy divine majesty, and a deep sense of our own unworthiness; that so approaching thy sanctuary with lowliness and devotion, and coming before thee with clean thoughts and pure hearts, with bodies undefiled, and minds sanctified, we may perform a service acceptable to thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Dr. Hamel's Attempts to ascend Mont rallel to the two sides, and dividing the Blane. (Continued from page 69, and concluded.) WE hardly know what apology to offer to our readers, or to our author, for this long digression; but, juvat hæc meminisse; seated round our own firesides, and daily bound more closely to our native soil, by the clinging cares and businesses of life, we feel that our travelling days are over, and it is pleasant to recall them to our mindst days of immense and innocent delight; when all the plans of interest and dreams of ambition were suspended; when we floated loosely on the stream of life; yet when the mind was expanded, and the heart elevated by the scenes around us, and the true tone and domestic feeling of both, preserved by the constant recollection of those at home, whom we wished to be with us to share our delight, or to whom we hoped to communicate it at our future meetings. Some one, speak ing of the first impressions of travelling, has said not untruly, "Oh 'twas a thing divine to be New born in freshest infancy, An infant strong and bold; Where all that met the eye or ear Was new, or beautiful, or rare, So untaught wonder told. New born in a new world; "No tongue can tell the gush of joy, That with electric power To return to the glacier des Bossons it was in crossing this, that the party met with their first difficulty; a crevice, twenty feet in breadth, and unfathom able, to appearance, in depth; but paVOL. V. breadth, ran a wall, or ridge of ice, about a foot broad; and ten feet lower A ladder was let down to the ridge, down in height than either of the sides. and the first guide descended; he was followed by one of the travellers, who, ridge with the dreadful precipice on leaving the ladder, stood on the narrow either side, while the guide shifted the ladder to the other edge of the crevice, and then made room for his ascent. In this way the whole party passed; and it must be admitted, that there was something not a little formidable to weak nerves, or unsteady heads, in the position on the narrow ridge in the cen tre. The glacier, however, was passed without any accident; and at a quarter past eleven, they were above the point where it unites with that of Sacconay slope of snow, of an inclination of 56°, at three, after having scrambled up a they reached the foot of the Grand Mylet. The ascent, from this point to the top of the Grand Mulet, was very difficult, being extremely steep and slippery, and full of loose rocks; however, at half past four they had overcome the difficulty. Here they determined to stop for the night; they might well be disposed to rest from their labours, but they were principally determined by the threatening appearance of the sky. Scarcely, indeed, had they manufactur ed a sort of tent, by the help of their ladder and spiked poles, when the rain commenced, and the thunder rolled all around them; the air was full of elec tric matter; and Dr. Hamel says, that the violent agitation of the balls of the electrometer was quite terrifying. The whole night was stormy, but in the morning the rain ceased, and the atmos phere was so fine and clear, that, from the spot on which they stood, they saw 13 distinctly the Lake of Geneva, and even more distant objects. However, the weather was so unsettled, that it was resolved to advance no farther for the day; two of the guides were sent down to Le Prieuré for a further supply of provisions, and the day was passed in making different experiments, and preparing fire-works for exhibition from the summit of Mont Blanc. At this height water was found to boil at a temperature of 72° of Reaumur's. At five in the afternoon a shower of hail fell, and the weather was gloomy till midnight; from that time it cleared, and about five in the morning the guides announced that they might safely continue the ascent. M. Selligue, however, had suffered so much from fatigue, that he declined going any farther; some difficulty was experienced in finding two guides to remain with him; Contet would have left behind two who had never made the ascent before, but they positively refused; the weather was fine, and they would not lose the opportunity now offered. Two others were at length induced to stay, and the two who had been sent down to Le Prieuré the day before, seem not to have returned, for the advancing party was now reduced to eleven, Messrs. Hamel, Henderson, and Dornford, with eight guides. The weather was magnificent above them, below was spread out a tranquil sea of white clouds, from out of which arose the heads of mountains here and there, as once before they had done from the retiring deluge; about seven the clouds dispersed, and they could look down even to Le Prieuré. The higher they ascended, they found the snow harder and less deep, and none seemed to have fallen for. some time. The space between the Dôme du Gote and the Mont Maudits (the inauspicious appellation of the eastern shoulder of Mont Blanc) is occupied by three platforms of snow, ascending one above another, and separated from each other and from the summit, by slopes, more or less perpendicular and difficult. The first platform and slope (of which last the inclination was from 25 to 30°) were passed by eight o'clock; and in half an hour more they were at the edge of the last great platform. Here the guides congratulated them on their success; they declared that all difficulties and dangers were at an end, and that a more rapid and easy ascent had never been made. The snow indeed was delightful to walk on, neither so hard as to be slippery, nor so soft as to yield much to their weight. The only inconvenience felt was from the rarity of the atmosphere; Dr. Hamel's pulse beat 128 in a minute, and his thirst was constant and excessive. Here, however, they were advised to breakfast; the guides observing, that they would lose their appetite when they got higher up. At this point also Dr. Hamel made his final preparations for his experiments; he wrote a couple of notes to announce his arrival at the summit, leaving a blank for the hour; his intention was to attach them to a pigeon which he had brought with him from Sallenche, for the double purpose of seeing how it would fly in an atmosphere so fine, and whether it would find its way back to its mate. A bottle of the best wine was reserved, to be drank on the summit to the memory of De Saus sure. Precisely at nine they continued their ascent, and successfully crossed the last grand platform. During this passage Dr. Hamel had fallen behind, and did not regain his place till the rest of the party were half way up the last slope. At the top of this slope, the rock and ice rise nearly perpendicularly, and therefore, in order to reach the summit, it was necessary to make a circuit, striking off to the left, and so proceeding horizontally to a certain point, whence again turning to the right they would find a more easy track to the summit. "With this intention,(says Dr. Hamel, and we are now arrived at so critical a point that we will translate our author's own words literally and faithfully) we were advancing in a line nearly horizontal, traversing the slope at about half way up its height, that is to say, at a nearly equal distance from the perpendicular rocks on our right and the platform of snow on our left. No one spoke, for at that height even speaking fatigues, and the fair conveys the sound but feebly. I was still the last; and I walked twelve steps at a time, then resting on my pole, I stopped to take in fifteen breathings of air. I found that in this way I could advance without exhausting myself. Furnished with green spectacles, and a crape over my face, my eyes were fixed on my footsteps, which I was counting, when on a sudden I felt the snow yielding under my feet-thinking that I was only slipping, I stuck my pole into the ground on my left-but in vain; the snow which accumulated on my right overturned me, covered me, and I felt myself carried downwards with irresistible force. At first I thought that I was the only one involved in the misfortune, but feeling the snow accumulate upon me in a degree almost to stop my breathing, I fancied that a great avalanche must be descending from Mont Blanc, and rolling the snow before it. Every moment I expected to be crushed beneath the mass; still as Iv was carried down, I constantly endeavoured to turn round, and I used all my strength to divide with my arms the snow, in which I was swimming, as it were, though buried in it. At length I succeeded in getting my head above the surface, and then I saw that a great part of the whole slope was in motion, but perceiving too that I was near the edge of this sliding part, I made every effort I could to set my foot on the firm snow, in which I at last succeeded. Not till then did I discover the real danger; for I found myself close to a crevice, which in that part separated the slope from the platform. At the same moment I saw the head of Mr. Henderson emerge from the snow, and still nearer than myself to the abyss. Farther off I discovered Mr. Dornford and three guides, but the five others did not appear. I was still in hopes to see them emerge from the snow which had become stationary again; but Mathieu Balmat cried out, that there were people in the crevice.' I will not attempt to paint what then passed in my soul; Mr. Dornford threw himself frantic on the snow in his despair, and Mr. Henderson was in a state which made me tremble for the consequences. But our feelings may be judged of, when a few minutes after we saw one of the guides issue from the crevice; our hur rahs redoubled at sight of a second; and we now were in full expectation of seeing the other three, but, alas! they never appeared more." This melancholy accident terminated the expedition at the very moment when it seemed on the point of being crowned with success. The surviving guides, upon whom the disaster had come perfectly unexpected, seem to have been overcome by it; they could not be prevailed upon to tarry long in making useless endeavours to recover the bodies of their companions, and fearful of a second ship of the snow, they hurried the unwilling travellers down the descent. Of those who perished, who were the three first in the line, one was ascending for the twelfth time, and the other two were those less experienced young men whom Contet would have left below with M. Selligue, but who could not be induced to stay. Fortunately neither of them was married. Our readers will naturally inquire into the cause of the disaster, and we think that from Dr. Hamel's narrative we can make it sufficiently clear to them. Successive falls of snow at such a height will naturally form separate beds or strata; and each bed, while it lies uppermost, will acquire from frost after rain, or the melting of the day, a slippery surface; so that the next bed will lie but loosely and insecurely upon it, especially where the whole is on a slope of any steepness. We have seen that the whole band of eleven was advancing horizontally on the slope, each one treading in the footsteps of the man before him, and all probably near together. It is probable that this arrangement, evidently very injudicious in this point of view, though it might have much to recommend it in another, was the cause of what happened. Eleven men, treading in the same track, may have cut through the uppermost bed, and so divided it in half; the continuity broken, the upper part began to slide in a body over the lower, and the moment any one part was set in motion, the whole would doubtless move, and acquire fresh power and rapidity in every foot that it descended. According to this notion, indeed, Dr. Hamel should have been |