you. The pain comes after the blow, and that is its effect.

Ion. Yes, and my crying would be the consequence of the painthe effect of it. And that which comes after the crying is redness in my eyes-so red eyes are the effect of crying. I know now. The effect is the consequence of a thing -the consequence of an action done to you.

M. This may be very true; but you have forgotten the coffee: that is the effect of talking about things which do not belong to your subject. Now, suppose, Willie, that you drank two cups of strong coffee -when you had performed the action, what would be the effect of it?

W. I cannot tell, mamma! for I never did drink two cups of strong coffee. Just let me perform that action, and then I shall see.

M. No, Willie. I am afraid that it would have a bad effect upon you; it would make you ill. But if a man were very tired, and were to drink some strong coffee, it would make his blood circulate more rapidly, and appear to stir him up.

Ion. And what are we to call coffee, mamma, because it will stir up a man?

M. There is a Latin word stimulare, which means to stir up; and from that word we call the coffee stimulating.

L. Then, mamma, beer, gin, and wine are stimulating.

M. Yes; but you must understand that these things which stimulate, or stimulants as they are called, are not often good things; their pleasant effects do not continue for a long time; indeed, their effects change and become unplea

sant.

Ion. I know that, mamma; beeause we sometimes stimulate the

fire with the poker-stir it up. Then, the fires burn brighter and faster for a time; but if you give it much stimulating, it goes out sooner, or, it burns too fast, then it afterwards looks very dull.

W. And when you stimulate a horse with a whip, he trots along faster for a little while, but he gets tired sooner, unless you keep on stimulating him.

M. But let us return to the coffee. Coffee does not stimulate people very strongly;—it is a gentle stimulant. So, there are very few who do not like it.

It has another effect. If people drink it when they are tired, after it has stimulated them, put new strength in them, causes them to feel fresh again.

seems to

L. Then the "freshness," mamma, is the effect of the stimulating.

M. Yes. The other night your papa was rather tired and sleepy, and yet he wanted to sit up and study, so he drank some coffee to refresh him, and keep him awake. Many gentlemen at Oxford and Cambridge, when they want to study at night, drink it in order to refresh themselves.

Ion. So we will say that it has two effects, mamma. It is stimulating and refreshing, and sometimes, I think, the coffee makes you feel more comfortable; — it makes people look more cheerful. That is an effect, perhaps.

L. Yes. Once when papa had been soaked in the rain, he ordered some warm coffee as he came in, and after he had taken it, I heard him say how comfortable he was-he looked rather glad!

M. Well, that was the effect of the coffee. It makes people cheerful, and it brings gladness out from them.

THE TRAVELLER THROUGH ENGLAND.

CARLISLE.

DEAR CHILDREN—

It is not very far from the Cheviot Hills to Carlisle. I forget now how many miles. Peg reached there in the afternoon.

I had heard it called "bonny Carlisle" in one of the border songs; and I found that it really was a bonny-looking town. It is built on a high piece of ground, whilst the country all round is a beautiful plain, with corn-fields, meadowlands, the river Eden, and the river Calder flowing through it.

Well! I thought-the country may be barren on the whole; but the people who built the capital chose a very pretty place for it, with plenty of rich and fertile land.

But the town itself was very pleasant to look at. It is one of the walled cities of England; and, as it is higher than the land on which I was standing, I could see very plainly the old Castle and the Cathedral, both built of reddish stone; and the new bridge over the river Eden, built of white freestone.

W. Then it has lime in it, if it is made of freestone.

Whilst I was at Carlisle, I learned several particulars about the place, which I will tell you.

The old Castle was built in the time of a king called WILLIAM RUFUS. It was once the prison of an unfortunate queen called MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. This queen had offended her people so much that she was obliged to fly from her country; and one night she and a Scotch gentleman came in a little boat across the Solway Firth, which you may see is at the west of Cumberland.

At this time England was governed by Queen Elizabeth, whom, I dare say, you have often heard of. Elizabeth, instead of feeling sorry for Mary, and trying to help her, shut her up in Carlisle Castle; and, I am ashamed to say, that, after a great many years, she removed her to another castle, and caused her to be beheaded.

Soon after this, Queen Elizabeth died; then James Stuart, the king of Scotland, who was Mary's son, came to be king of England also; and ever since then, England and Scotland have been governed by one king.

Whilst I was at Carlisle, I heard some tales about the walls and fortifications. When England and Scotland were made into one kingdom, they really were not wanted any longer; and I should think that the Carlisle folk would have done well to have destroyed them..

It appears that James Stuart, the' son of Mary, was not a good king nor were any of the kings of that family. When his son, Charles I., came to the throne, he governed so badly that, after a time, the people and parliament disobeyed him; and, for many years, there was what is called a civil war.

W. I never thought that people could be civil in war time.

L. "Civil war" does not mean that the people who fight are polite to one another; but, that people of the same country fight with each other.

W. I don't think that that is true. You don't mean to say that English people would try to kill Englishmen!

L. We shall see :-Some of the people and soldiers, who thought that the king was right, fought against those people and soldiers

who thought that the parliament was right; and there was war and murder all over the country.

So, when the king's soldiers saw that Carlisle had fortifications, and walls, they marched against the city, seized it, and shut themselves up in it. The army of the parliament then came to attack them; they encamped all round the walls of the city, and began what was called a siege.

When they could not take the city, they next resolved to starve their countrymen; so they made a blockade, which means that the inhabitants were all shut in.

The townsmen dared not, now, go outside the gates, for fear lest they should be killed; they had no other food except that which was inside the city, and when that was all gone, they began to feel hungry.

In the British Museum there is an account of this siege, and of some of the people's sufferings and troubles. It was written by a man who was in the city at the time; here is a part of it :

At Christmas, all the corn and cattle were taken from the citizens, and were divided every week amongst the families according to their numbers.

#

April 3.-The horses had only thatch for food, all other provisions being exhausted.

May 10.-A fat horse being taken from the enemy, was sold for 10s. a quarter.

May 23.-Provisions almost spent. May 30.-News that the king was come into Westmoreland. (They then expected that he would soon be there to help them.) The garrison were so glad that day that they ate three days' provision, and repented with a cup of cold water three days afterward.

June 5.-Hempseed, dogs, and rats were eaten. The citizens so shrunk, that they could not choose but laugh

at one another to see their clothes hang on them, as upon men on gibbets, for, one might put one's head and fists between the doublets and shirts of many of them.

June 17.-The garrison had only half a pound of horseflesh each, for four days.

June 22.-Some soldiers came to the common bakehouse, and took away all the horseflesh from the poor people, who were as near starving as themselves.

June 23.-The townsmen petitioned Sir Thomas Glenham that the horseflesh might not be taken away, and said that they really were not able to endure the famine any longer. Several women met at the Cross, abusing Sir Henry Stradling, the governor, who threatened to fire on them :-they begged it as a mercy, so he went away with tears in his eyes, and said he could not mend their commons.

There! how would you like to live in a town during a siege?

Ion. I would rather have been outside the walls. The townspeople would have been happier just then if they had had no fortifications at all.

L. Yes; for they were in trouble about them again; at least, their grandchildren were. Listen!

Not much more than 100 years ago-in the year 1745-Carlisle was again besieged.

The Stuart kings had governed so badly that one of them, called James II., was obliged to run away, just as Mary Queen of Scots did. About 50 years afterwards, in 1745, his grandson, Charles Stuart, came over to England; and, declaring that he was the proper person to Scotch noblemen, and thousands of be king, he was joined by several Highlanders, who marched with him to England. They besieged Carlisle and took it; and then caused "Prince Charlie" to be

proclaimed king of England. After they left the city, the Duke of Cumberland, the commander of the king's soldiers, came and besieged it once more.

The first day that I came to Carlisle, I went to see the Cathedral of the city; but I was not much pleased with it.

The streets here are very full on a market-day. I made inquiries about the manufactures of the town, and found that they were cotton, whips, hats, and fish-hooks. I saw also quantities of salmon, which had been caught in the river Eden; some of it had been sent away by the different railroads that meet here.

I left Carlisle on the second day, and passed several places worthy of notice. I heard that on the western coast there are two large ports called WORKINGTON and WHITEHAVEN, where there are coal-mines, which extend many thousand feet under the sea.

I also heard an account of a village called BORROWDALE, where there is a famous mine. This mine contains a black substance called plumbago, and by the country people "Wad." You, however, would, if you saw it, call it black-lead; but this is not a proper name for it, as it does not contain a particle of lead, but consists of charcoal and iron. This plumbago mine is the only one in England. I have heard that at one time it was only opened now and then-perhaps, every two or three years-lest the stock should be consumed; for the holes in which it is found are not very large.

FROM day to day we humbly own
The hand that feeds us still;
Give us our bread, and teach to rest
Contented in thy will.

Dear children,

Your affectionate friend, HENRY YOUNG. CUMBERLAND (Continued). (4.) The capital of Cumberland is CARLISLE, an ancient town on the river Eden. It is famous for its old Castle, where Queen Elizabeth imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. Its walls and fortifications were besieged in 1645, during the reign of King Charles Stuart; and again in 1745, in the rebellion of Prince Charles Stuart. The manufactures of Carlisle, are cotton hats, whips, and fish-hooks. It has also a trade in salmon.

(5). The other principal towns are WHITEHAVEN and WORKINGTON, noted for their coal-mines, which extend under the sea.

BORROWDALE, a village noted for its mine of plumbago, or blacklead, and PENRITH, a large market

town.

KESWICK, noted for its black-lead pencils.

(6). Cumberland is so called from "The Cumbri," a tribe of the Ancient Britons formerly living there.

Our sins before thee we confess;
Oh, may they be forgiv'n!
As we to others mercy show,
We mercy beg from heav'n.