"There was but one part of your letter that troubled me: it was, the anger you express against William Johnson. I can't explain his conduct any more than you; but I will always believe that some mistake is at the bottom of his change, though we may never know what it is. We both have known him from a boy, and how good and steady he always was. Is it likely he should turn bad all at once? It would be worse than any thing that has happened to me to have to think it. And having said this, dear Ellen, you would confer a great kindness on me never to name the subject to me again. I am quite sure it does harm to talk much on such matters; and it is for the good of my body, and mind too, to keep my thoughts as calm and peaceful as I can and if I do but learn to set my mind on right things, then every thing that happens to metrouble, or sickness, or sorrow-will be all for my good. "I am to leave this place Saturday week: it is a bad day for you to leave home upon; yet I think you will be so good as to come for me here, and walk with me to the union-house at once. I should not know what to say to the gentlemen by myself. My kind love to your husband and the children. "Your affectionate friend, [To be continued.] "MARY GREY." WHEN the Princess Anna (daughter of King Charles I.) lay upon her death-bed, and nature was almost spent, she was desired by one of the attendants to pray. She said that she was not able to say her long prayer, meaning the Lord's Prayer; but she would say her short one-" Lighten mine eyes, O Lord, that I sleep not in death." The little innocent had no sooner pronounced these words than she expired. She was not quite four years of age.-Grainger. SCRIPTURE GEOGRAPHY. [Continued from p. 206.] It will be found necessary for a full understanding of the journeyings of the children of Israel (which will hereafter be described) to speak of the countries where the descendants of Abraham and of Lot were placed. To begin with Ishmael, Abraham's eldest son as I have already said, when sent from his father's house, he and his mother Hagar went to the wilderness of Paran and dwelt there; and taking a wife out of the land of Egypt, he became the father of twelve sons, whose posterity, we are informed, "dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt as thou goest towards Assyria ;” that is, in several parts of Arabia Petræa (the upper division of Arabia, so called from being desert and stony), the western part of which, towards Egypt, is called in Scripture Shur; and the eastern part, towards the Persian gulf, Havilah. The descendants of Nabaioth and Kedar, sons of Ishmael, are spoken of by the prophet Isaiah as inhabiting that country, who says of them, in prophesying of the glories of Christ's kingdom, "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto Thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto Thee;" and in another place (chap. xxi.), in giving the burden upon Arabia, Tema, and Kedar, and Dumah, sons of Ishmael, are mentioned by name. As all these people were called, from their common father, Ishmaelites, so, from the mother of Ishmael, they were sometimes called Hagarenes (1 Chron. v. 19, 20). "From The Arabians to this day value themselves upon their being descendants of Ishmael. One writer, in giving an account of these people, says, the twelve sons of Ishmael are derived the twelve tribes of Arabians still subsisting. St. Jerome says that in his time they called the districts of Arabia by the names of their several tribes. The descendants of Ishmael inhabited from Havilah to Shur. They are usually named under the general name of Ishmaelites. Since the seventh century they have almost all embraced Mahometanism. Arabia was peopled by old Arabians (descendants of Ham) before the sons of Ishmael settled there, and not till after long disputes with the first possessors. The race of the old Arabians still subsists, but blended with the Ishmaelites."1 Among the sons of Abraham by Keturah, the principal in the Scripture history are the descendants of Midian, or the Midianites. It is agreed that these (at least chiefly) settled themselves to the south-east of the Salt or Dead Sea, adjoining to the Moabites; and in Numbers (chap. xxii.) we find them spoken of as neighbouring people. We do, indeed, read of the land of Midian lying in the neighbourhood of Mount Sinai, where Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, lived; but this is not to be understood of the first settlement of Midian, but that, in process of time, as his descendants increased, so they spread themselves further and further in the adjacent parts where they found room, and so at length spread themselves as far as to that tract by the Red Sea where Jethro lived. Having spoken of the settlements of the descendants of Abraham, we come to the habitation of the two sons of Lot,-Moab and Ammon, or Ben-ammi. The first-born, Moab, settled himself eastward of the Salt Sea, to the north of the Midianites. The younger son, the father of the Ammonites, settled himself in the country adjoining the Moabites to the north, eastward of Jordan. A fuller description of these countries will be given when the journeyings of the children of Israel are spoken of, and their entrance to the promised land. Thus the land of Canaan was as it were surrounded by the descendants of Abraham and Lot, Canaan itself being reserved for the promised seed, the children of Isaac, who was heir 1 Calmet. of the promises; and it has been remarked, that the wars of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and his confederates, who had conquered the ancient inhabitants of these countries and made great slaughter of them, and probably also carried great numbers captive (Gen. xiv. 5-7), had thus made room for these settlements of the children of Abraham and Lot. The next people with whom we are concerned are the Edomites, or descendants of Esau, Isaac's eldest son, Jacob's brother, and grandson of Abraham. Edom, which signifies red, was a name given to Esau, on occasion of his selling his birthright for a mess of red pottage. He did not long remain in the land of Canaan, where his fathers had sojourned, but separated from his brother after the death of their father, the reason of which is given in Scripture," that their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers that is, the land of Canaan] could not bear them, because of their cattle. Therefore Esau went from the face of his brother Jacob, and dwelt in Mount Seir" (Gen. xxxvi. 6-9). The former inhabitants of this country (Mount Seir) were the Horims, or Horites, as we learn from Deuteronomy (chap. ii. 12): "The Horims also dwelt in Seir before-time; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead." It is likely that the Horims were descendants of one named Hor, and that from him the mountain was formerly called Mount Hor; for we read in Numbers (chap. xx. 22-28) of a mountain of this name "by the coasts of Edom," on which Aaron died. The country called Mount Seir lay on the south of the Salt Sea, extending itself from thence to the Red Sea, or Arabian Gulf (1 Kings ix. 29); and it is from this, it is supposed, that the Red Sea received its name, because the land of Edom (which signifies red) came down to its shores. [To be continued.] 239 POETRY. A LESSON FROM FLOWERS. WHEN in the fields and meadows we gather the sweet flowers, Or love to watch them blooming around our garden bowers, We from their varied blossoms may learn a lesson well, They seem as friends together so lovingly to dwell. Some on the low turf springing, look up all bright and gay; The tall tree's drooping blossoms bend o'er them from the spray : Not one the rest despising,-none seeking higher lot,- The brightest and the gravest will form one beauteous line; When spring-flowers first awaken, together meet our sight The lilac and laburnum like two fair sisters grow, Oft with their branches blending the guelder rose of snow; The buttercup and daisy, united as of old, Deck every plain and meadow with mingled white and gold. Red lychnis, silver starwort, love side by side to blow; S. D. THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE Church is our blest Saviour's robe, It is the same through all the globe, |