Honest John Browne,

129

remarked to the writer, the great anxiety which was expressed by his industrious tenant, lest, in the event of his (the gentleman) leaving the parish, which has since taken place, he should be deprived of the land.— Of this, however, there was no danger. The result of this plan has been, that he has supported his wife and children, without assistance from the parish.

Persons desirous of forwarding the views of this Society, are requested to communicate in writing, to the secretary (pro tempore) of the Labourers' Friend Society, 51, Threadneedle-street; or to the King's Head Tavern, Poultry.

HONEST JOHN BROWNE.

A YOUNG man, in the garb of a sailor, who said he was an Irishman, and gave his name John Browne, applied lately to Mr. Alderman Brown, the sitting magistrate, to refund to him a sum of 21s., which he said the worthy magistrate had ordered to be advanced to him to enable him to get to his ship, when he was brought before his worship on a charge of vagrancy, during his mayoralty in 1824. The Alderman had no recollection of the occurrence; but the tar said he was quite sure of the name, and of the sum, as he had it down in his log. By the worthy gentleman's generosity he was enabled to make his way to London, where he was fortunate in getting a berth in a ship bound to Kingston, in Jamaica, and having saved a little money, he had taken the opportunity which a visit to his grandmother at Wakefield (his father and mother being both dead) afforded him, to step over to Leeds to thank his generous benefactor for his bounty, and to return him the money advanced, with a few shells which he had brought from abroad. Mr. Lancaster, the gaoler, who had a perfect recollection of the occurrence, bore testimony to the truth of the sailor's

statement as to what passed in 1824; but the worthy magistrate, who was highly delighted with such an instance of praiseworthy conduct in so young a man, refused to receive any money from him, and kindly invited him to dine at his residence at Chapletown.

(From the Leeds Intelligencer.)

NOSEGAY PRIZE.

WE understand that some of the horticultural societies " give a prize" to the "Cottager" who shall produce the best nosegay. This is a good prize,-and even the man that loses it will be glad that he has tried for it: his garden will have been an ornament to his house all summer long, and he will have past many a pleasant evening in planting, and training, and nursing his flowers. Whilst some of his foolish neighbours have been spending their money at the ale-house, and making themselves poor, and then grumbling about the times and the taxes; he will have spent his evenings cheerfully and pleasantly, and will have saved as much in one year, by staying away from the ale-house, as the taxes cost him in fifty years.

V.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

SIR, IF you think the following lines worthy insertion in your excellent little publication, I shall feel highly honoured by the insertion.

A CONSTANT READER.

FROM the little sketch of the History of England, which, in our early numbers, we laid before our readers (and which has been since published separately) our young friends, who have been diligent, will be sufficiently acquainted with English History to know where to place any particular event that they may afterwards hear of, and know the time of each king's

reign, and thus have a sort of sketch of our history, which may be afterwards filled up according to their opportunities. In reading of James the First of England, they will remember that he was the sixth king of Scotland, of that name, and that he was heir to the thrones both of England and Scotland; and that from his time, both these countries have been governed by the same sovereign. This king James began to reign in England in the year 1602, on the death of Queen Elizabeth, and lived till the year 1625, when his son, the unfortunate Charles the First, succeeded him. Our object, however, in alluding to the reign of James the First, is to introduce a very beautiful instance of the excellent feeling of his son prince Henry, a most accomplished young man, who died in his nineteenth year. We extract the following passage from "Lodge's portraits and memoirs of illustrious personages of British history."

He (Prince Henry) was strictly pious, and most exact in the exercise of his public and private devotions, and had such an aversion to the profanation of the name of God, that he was never heard to use it but most devoutly. Indeed, he abhorred swearing, which, probably because the king himself was much addicted to it, was the bad fashion of his time. It happened one day, when he was hunting, that the stag crossed a road in which a butcher and his dog were passing. The dog fell on the stag, and killed it; and the prince's attendants endeavouring to incense him against the man, he answered,-" if the dog killed the stag, could the butcher help it?" One of them hereupon took the liberty to say that if the king's hunting had been interrupted by such an accident, he would have sworn terribly.

"Nay," said the prince, "all the pleasure in the world is not worth an oath."

V.

Reflections on the present Times. 133

DEATH BY SUFFOCATION.

Two young men, plasterers and tilers, inhabiting a house in a court in Kingsmead-Street, were found dead in their beds. It appears that the elder brother, finding it cold, on Thursday evening, lighted some charcoal to heat the room, and the other coming home late at night went to bed in the dark, and either did not discover the charcoal, or deemed it unnecessary to remove it. The two young men lived in the house alone, and were not discovered until a late hour the following evening, when they were found dead in their beds, evidently suffocated.-Bath Journal.

REFLECTIONS ON THE PRESENT TIMES.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. MR. EDITOR,

THE late disturbed state of the country has excited very general fear and apprehension in the minds of the people; and, if we profess to call Him Lord and Master, who ordereth all things above and below, and without whose knowledge and consent even a sparrow falleth not to the ground, we undoubtedly do well to fear-lest a worse thing come upon us.

But, while I beg leave to remind your readers that they who do not fear and tremble when the chastening hand of the Lord is upon them, must either be of a fool-hardy and reprobate mind, or of such a cold indifferent character as dishonours God and themselves. I would likewise beg them to consider that, if fear makes us distrustful of God's providence, instead of making us, in faith and repentance, turn to him, to seek his favour and loving-kindness, it is equally displeasing to