JAMES BRINDLEY..

This remarkable man was born at Tunsted, in Derbyshire, of poor parents. But poverty was not the worst evil young Brindley had to encounter. His father was a man of dissipated habits, consequently the mind of the child was familiarized with the most dangerous and painful of all spectacles, that of a father who, instead of being a pattern for his child of industry and virtue, was daily practising the excesses of intemperance. The poor boy was allowed to grow up, as the drunkard's child usually is, without any school instruction; and from the time that he was able to do anything, was employed in ordinary country labour.

His genius, it is evident, was of the practical, rather than the reflective kind, for he never counteracted the effects of parental negligence and ignorance by a personal application to the elements of knowledge, as we have seen in other cases. But it is pretty evident he wished for some pursuit that afforded more exercise for his mental faculties than drawing a cart or following a plough; for we find at the age of seventeen he apprenticed himself to a millwright named Bennet, who resided at Macclesfield. It is equally

evident that he commenced studying his new business with great ardour, and that his bias for mechanical inventions soon became apparent; for it is said that, "in the early part of his apprenticeship, he was frequently left by himself for whole weeks together, to execute works, concerning which his master had given him no previous instruction. These works, therefore, he finished in his own way; and Mr. Bennet was often astonished at the improvements his apprentice from time to time introduced into the millwright business, and earnestly questioned him from whom he had obtained his knowledge. He had not been long at the trade, before the millers, wherever he had been employed, always chose him again in preference to his master, or any other workman; and before the expiration of his servitude,

at which time Mr. Bennet, who was advanced in years, grew unable to work, Brindley, by his ingenuity and application, kept up the business with credit, and even supported the old man and his family in a comfortable manner."

This gives us a very favourable idea of the moral worth of young Brindley. Some youths, when conscious of their being so necessary to an employer, would have made themselves very disagreeable, by assuming manners; and if he had been either conceited or selfish, he might have thought more of advancing his own interests than promoting his master's advantage. But Brindley began life well, by doing his duty to the utmost towards his master, and we shall see that in due time he reaped his reward. From the accounts that have been collected, it seems that Brindley's master was not very competent to direct the mind of his apprentice. On one occasion, Bennet had been employed to erect a paper-mill, and went to examine some mills of that kind in a distant part of the country, in order to become acquainted with the machinery. He, however, returned home, little benefitted by his investigations, and sorely perplexed in consequence. He set his people to work, but could make no successful progress with the machinery, and reports got abroad that the man who had employed Bennet would find that he had thrown away his money on an incompetent workman. Young Brindley heard these reports, and, interested for the credit of his master, as well as stimulated by his own desire for mechanical knowledge, he formed the determination of visiting the mill his master had previously examined. Saying nothing to any one of his design, he set out on foot for the mill one night when his work was over, obtained on the following day a complete view of all the machinery, and returned to his work at his usual time on the morning after, having accomplished the whole journey of fifty miles on foot, and made such observations as, with his ingenious brain, enabled him to clear up all the difficulties which had so puzzled his master. The mill, under Brindley's management, was finished to the

entire satisfaction of the proprietor, and indeed was far better than the model, for the youth had introduced many original improvements. Brindley faithfully served his master, as apprentice and workman, for several years, and then set up in business for himself. His path in life was now open before him, and with his industry and genius, could not fail, under the divine blessing, to be prosperous. His skill attracted attention, and shortly after commencing business as a millwright, he turned his attention to engineering in all its branches.

(To be continued.)

SPIRITS OF LIFE.

Spirit of Life, to us make known
The grandeur of th' Immortal will:
Send down the fire from off thy throne,

still:

And prove thyself the conqueror
For thou art worthy, mighty King,
Of all the human soul can give;
But what to thee its offering,
Since 'tis alone by thee we live.

Oh what are all our treasures here
Compar'd to what remains with thee,
How poor we seem, how mean appear,
And blush at what we seem to be.
Ah! all these glittering things we wear,
Can ne'er bedeck the human soul,

And nothing have we to compare
With cherub bands in part or whole.

Yet higher still with spirits rise,
Nor seek earth's glittering things below;
Those lasting gifts above the skies,
Can there alone the Saviour show.
He lives! but still he bids us come,
To leave this dull and dreary sphere :
He points us to a brighter home;
And yet, oh! how we linger here.

Macclesfield.

THE WANDEerer.

We're marching to the promised land, A

land all fair and bright; Come join our hap-py

youthful band, and seek the plains of light.

I had but allowed myself one moment to think, it surely would have come to me; or if I had been patient, and not denied her speech, she would have told me all, and turned my profitless day into a golden one.

The house was reached at last-a high, narrow tenement, shouldered back by better edifices; but it had an air of respectability. Children were playing upon the stepsthere were signs of life, none of death, unless the silence and steady glance of the children, as I drew near them, might have given me some forebodings.

"Does the Widow Van Kentz live here ?" I asked them. Yes, sir," said one of the little girls, while a boy whispered loud enough for my ear, "Shure, it's the praste."

I was directed to a room in the third story. My heart failed me when I would have asked one question; I preferred to wait to see.

The door was opened ah! I did see. A four-post bedstead first met my gaze. It was enough-over that a sheet was spread-under the thin covering lay the rigid outlines of a human form. Some one, an elderly woman, was busily getting supper-the clatter of the dishes sounded unnatural. Near the fire, with bent head and apron thrown over it, sat the bereaved mother. My heart almost stood still as the other touched her on the shoulder. She looked up -she met my eye-a look of strange horror changed her face.

"Will you pardon me?" I said, as she turned away again. "I had utterly forgotten."

"Yes, I believe you," she replied mournfully; "the poor mustn't look for remembrance or anything else from the rich. My son oh! my dear son!"

"I am very sorry! I am very sorry!" was all I could say; and I repeated it again and again.

"Oh! if you knew how I felt yesterday!" she exclaimed, sobbingly-"Oh! my poor Jack, he was almost at the last; but he asked for you-he expected you-his dying eyes had tears in them, when he saw me come alone. Oh! what