1 night air,

he distance

een shorter

my average or nearly five £ 600 miles. at a thought cen untiringly y has become

the cock crew very soothing in D, nor woke till it was an operamy jacket), and

ued fine, I detertion. So I set out As for more than a y the side of one Ject the town and 's Church, and at e. This was the about it in every le steamers puffed using to see them. , connects the Inner by the widening out uter is the larger, being etween various stations fine buildings, palaces, und the Inner Alster form in the cool of the evening. rid of my stiffness were I to capacity for motion by having There is a very good bathing Outer Alster. There are baths lemen who do, and for boys. I and when I appeared outside and e other bathers stared indeed, and whose breast, neck, and arms were is body. They doubtless thought I was not requested to get out of the rd, and found that I could manage as But the water made me smart very

much, and after three or four turns round the bath I got out, and going into my little box dressed myself as best I could. When I left the bathing-place I turned to the right to pursue my course round the town.

Crossing a bridge, one has on the left the Neuer Jungfernstieg, one of the most fashionable promenades, and straight ahead an esplanade leads to the high ground above Hamburg, which extends to the Elbhöhe by the Seamen's Home. Along this path I proceeded, and soon found myself in a very pretty wood, which slopes down on either side from the centre road. At the bottom of this, on the right hand, the Alster, narrowed and covered in by trees, flows to meet the Elbe. Beyond it is again a chain of hills, and with this five good bridges communicate. Over one of these I crossed, and found myself faced by a vast common; on its other side, the city of Altona; and on my left, the suburb of St. Paul's and the tower of St. Michael.

I had intended now to go on to Altona, but the heat was so intense that (especially as first must have been crossed the common, of a mile in length) I determined to walk homewards (i. e., towards the river) by the shady path which offered itself close by. So I went slowly on until I had passed the Miller's Gate and was directly above the port. Here I found to be situated the Seamen's Home and Hospital, a fine building in a healthy and open position. Hence a steep road and a still steeper pathway takes one to the quay. It was now two o'clock, and I had entirely circumambulated the old city. As the heat was still frightful, I went into my bedroom at the hotel and occupied myself until 5 p.m. in writing. As it had by that time become slightly cooler, I ventured out to the port. I made a little détour in order to ascertain exactly where the Castor lay, that I might have no difficulty in finding her when I wanted later in the evening to go aboard. I took a jolly across to the Sandthorquai, where the newspaper said she was lading, and there soon met with her, for she was just steaming down the river. I kept up with her for some time, but at length she got out of sight, and I gave up my quest for the present. My principal cause for anxiety was gone, for when she passed me I observed that my canoe was safely lodged on the upper deck. I had obtained my ticket by this steamer last night and gave instructions at the office to send to the Dolphin for my boat. I now saw this had been done, and I recrossed to the town with satisfaction. The Inner Port is very old, and most strange in appearance to English eyes. All the houses on one side open on to the water, having doors and steps leading down to it, which show how intensely maritime a people their inhabitants must be. The buildings are quaintly erected in various styles and very tall, some having so many as eight or nine stories.

When I landed (the scull across costs 1d.) I made my way, steering by such landmarks as church spires, &c., to the post-office, and reached it at length by way of the Alster Arcade and the old wall. In the Arcade, which is immediately upon the water of the Inner Alster, I bought some

views of the town, and then made my way to the quay, where I found the missing steamer close to my hotel.

I shall not trouble you with the details of the voyage home, most of my readers are acquainted with steamer life of some sort or other. Suffice it to say that the weather was unusually rough, and that we were glad enough, after a delay of twenty-one hours, to find ourselves on the morning of the third day safely sailing up the Thames. Almost the first thing we set eyes on was the grand old Greenwich Hospital with its two domes. A few minutes more in the ship, a few minutes' ride by rail, and the home from which we had been so long away was once more in view, and inwardly we felt the truth of the words of the poet who sings that "wherever we may roam "-whether by land or sea, whether walking or boating, whether through shady forest or over the bleak Alpine mountain-men must always end their tours by confessing, as I do most sincerely, that after all

The Bible the Key of History.

HE learned Swiss writer (Jean de Muller) while engaged in historical studies at Cassel, in the year 1782, wrote to his friend, Charles Bonnet, that he had studied all

the ancient authors, without exception, in the order of time in which they lived, and had not omitted to take note of a single remarkable fact. Among other works it occurred to him to glance at the New Testament, and we give in his own words the impression it produced on him :

"How shall I express what I have found here? I had not read it for many years, and when I began I was prejudiced against it. The light which blinded St. Paul in his journey to Damascus was not more prodigious, or more surprising to him than what I suddenly discovered was to me :-the accomplishment of every hope, the perfection of all philosophy, the explanation of all revolutions, the key of all the apparent contradictions of the material and mortal world, of life and immortality. I see the most astonishing things effected by the smallest means. I see the connection of all the revolutions in Europe and Asia with that suffering people to whom were committed the promises; as one likes to entrust a manuscript to those who, not knowing how to write, cannot falsify it. I see religion appearing at the moment most favourable to its establishment, and in the way least likely to promote its reception. The world appearing to be arranged solely with reference to the religion of the Saviour. I can understand nothing if such a religion be not from God. I have not read any book about it, but in studying all that happened before this epoch, I have always found something wanting; and since I have known our Lord, all is clear to my sight; with Him there is no problem that I cannot solve. Forgive me for thus praising the sun, as a blind man who had suddenly received the gift of sight."The Christian Age.