BRITANNIA IRON WORKS, BEDFORD.

THESE works are the property of James and Frederick Howard, Esq. The former is a member of Parliament for the borough of Bedford, and was honourably elected by the votes of 1,313 electors at the last general election. The names of both of these gentlemen are well-known in Methodism, and especially the latter, for his very extensive liberality. These partners in business are brothers, and are the sons of the venerable John Howard, Esq., J.P., of this town, who is beyond the age of threescore and ten years, but is still an active Wesleyan Methodist local preacher in the Bedford circuit, and he, with his son Frederick, are annual subscribers to the Primitive Methodist Missionary Society, and the writer has generally found them ready to assist with their contributions for the support of Primitive Methodism in various respects.

These iron works are very near the Midland Railway Station, and occupy about 15 acres of land. They were designed by Robert Palgrave, Esq., of London, and commenced building in 1857, and now, in 1870, very extensive additions are being made to them. They are situated on the highway to Woburn, and have a beautiful entrance lodge and archway, with a very extensive iron palisading, as may be seen in the engraving. After passing through the archway, there is a very extensive yard at the front of the works, in which may often be seen some hundreds of beautiful and well-made ploughs, harrows, &c., &c. After passing through the lodge, or archway, the visitor is at once struck with a clean and admirable carriage drive running to the left, and leading to some large and well-built offices, which may be seen in the engraving. Many hundreds of men and boys are employed in these far-famed works, and we are happy to say that a goodly number of

Primitive Methodist local preachers are employed in this firm.

In this large block of buildings there is a variety of departments, such as the foundry department, the dressing department, the forging department, the fitting department, &c., and goods from this manufactory are forwarded to China, Italy, India, Asia Minor, the Mauritius, Natal, Austria, Russia, France, New Zealand, and all parts of the United Kingdom. The name of Howard has long been known in the agricultural implement world, and gentlemen, bearing the excellent reputation which the proprietors of these works do, are well worthy of universal support and worldwide fame. It would be almost impossible for any Christian visitor to go through these iron works and their extensive premises without being struck by the fact that their proprietors have strove to carry out the apostolic injunction, "Let all things be done decently and in order." On these premises are to be found a good selection of engineering and agricultural books; also a variety of newspapers; and we are glad to say a copy of the Holy Scriptures, which teaches the great truths that " He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread." While the agricultural world boasts of such names as Garrett, Ransome, Hornsby, Fowler, Crosskill, &c., we are pleased to be able to place amongst these honourable names those of James and Frederick Howard, who have honour in their own country, and from their own townsmen of Bedford. WILLIAM BIRKS.

THE KIND FATHER.

Ir was the evening of a very hot day when I started for a walk in the neighbourhood of Windsor. The walk, which was along the road, was not at first very pleasant, for the heat had not fully subsided. As I passed by I saw, by the roadside, a working man filling a small basket with some

thing he was gathering from the hedge, and by his side, on the path, was a little boy about three years old. I thought as I passed, "Poor child, have you no better protector than that coarse, rough-looking man ?" My walk did not extend much further, and on my return I saw that which taught me some pleasing and useful lessons, which I I thought it well worth a far more unpleasant walk to learn.

There was on one side of the lane a large waste piece of ground much broken, and having a marshy pond at one part. To this I was attracted by a man's voice, speaking very kindly to a child; and, looking through a large gap in the hedge, I heard the man, whom I had observed as I passed before, calling to the little child, who was just on the other side of the marsh, "Come along, dear, or father must go home without you." It seemed the father had led his little one into the field to gather flowers, and then the child had quitted his side in quest of the bright poppies; and the father in vain bidding his little one keep by him, had walked on, thinking that the fear of being left alone would make his child again seek his hand. But no; the little one was so pleased with the bright flowers, that he never thought of danger or loneliness; and now the father had to call often to his boy to remind him that he could not always stay in that flowery field. The child knew his father's voice, and looked up to him with a merry laugh, came on a few steps, saw another bright flower, forgot his father, for he did not now want his home, and turned aside to gather the attractive object.

Again the father raised his voice: "Come on, darling; I have prettier flowers for you here." The child looked once more. I heard his merry laugh; but still he could not quite determine to leave off making his nosegay. Once more the father spoke: "Come Charley, come to father, and he will give you better flowers than those. Look what big ones I have here."

And now, at last, the little one set out in real earnest to

join his father; but the ground was uneven, and difficult for his unsteady feet, and the dirty pond and marshy ground lay between the child and his parent. To avoid this pond the boy must go up a little mound, and this he did not seem to like to do; for in vain the father called, "Not that way, Charley; turn so," pointing. in the right direction. His little voice replied, "I am coming father;" and he made straight for the pond. He soon reached its edge, and there he stopped, looked round, and because, to his little eyes, there seemed no other way of reaching his father, he began to cry. "I cannot come to you; I cannot get by."

66 Ah, Charley, you should have come the other way," said the man; but quickly seeing that his child was really in difficulty, and was almost trying to come through the water, and knowing that then it would be in danger, the father raised his voice higher yet, as he cried, "Wait a bit, darling, and I will come and lead you ;" and then started off, and quickly was by the side of his child, who joyfully turned to meet him, and exclaiming, "Dear father," gave him his hand to be led home. But the ground was rough, and once and again the child was nearly down, when the father caught him up in his arms, and said with a fond kiss, "Come, Charley, father will carry you, or you may fall into one of these holes." Then, seeing its hands full of dandelions and poppies, which, though they look very bright and handsome in a field or a hedge, are not pleasant to smell, nor nice in the hand, he said, "Oh, throw away those flowers, pet, and I will give you some much better." The poppies, lately prized, dropped from his tiny fingers, and his little arms were thrown around the fond father's neck. "That's my own boy," said the pleased parent; "he shall have some sweet honeysuckle from the hedge yonder, and some bright geranium and meadow-sweet; they will be far better than poppies and dandelions." I now feared the man might notice me, and be displeased at my observing him, and therefore walked on, still hearing for some way, the

cheerful, happy voices of the father and child talking of the flowers and home with peaceful content.

This little incident led me to some profitable thoughts. It taught me how wrong it is to judge by appearances. This man, whom I had fancied rough and coarse, was a good father, and by his way of acting and speaking I should hope a pious man; and that dear child, whom, in my folly, I would have trusted to any one sooner than that man, had in him a fond and able protector. Thus I was shown that One far wiser and kinder than I had planned his lot as well as my own.

I thought, too, that in some respects Charley was a true picture of many of God's children, Do any such among my young readers think they are ever like that child? "Oh,

no!" you will say; "I never pick poppies and dandelions

to make a nosegay; I know they make my hands smell; and I never stay away when told to come; nor am I quite silly enough to try to go through a pond to avoid going round it."

Stay a little, my dear friend, and see, for I think both you and I have often been like little Charley. Jesus Christ our Saviour compares this world to a field, and God our Father has placed us in it, and made it in many ways pleasant to us. But the joys and pleasures which some seek after in this world are many of them like poppies and dandelions, not worth gathering or keeping; yet we run after them, and are so intent on them as to be heedless of our Father's voice of warning and affection. There are around us also many dangers to try our faith and teach us to depend only on him. To avoid these, our heavenly Father bids us take hold of his hand, and walk by his side; but, Christian reader, you know that very often God's children, thinking more of the pleasures that surround them than of God who gave them; turn aside from him: to make them come on he moves away from them; but sometimes they are too busy to notice this; and then he calls to them by his servants, or by his word, or sometimes by events