My heart beat high and fast:

'Shall I stay here,' I cried aloud;

'The least one and the last?'

"I seized my cap and hastened forth, Led onward by the sound,

And ran until at last I reached

An open spot of ground,

Where groups of men with troubled looks Were scattered all around.

"And o'er a hill, whose sloping side Appeared not far away,

A band of British soldiers marched, With plumes and colors gay; But many of that band, I ween, Saw not the close of day!

"They had been here, not long before,
With sound of drum and fife,
And with the men of Lexington
Had joined in deadly strife,
And wantonly, and cruelly,
Had taken human life.

"Where is my uncle?' I exclaimed, And gazed around the plain; Alas, my living uncle's face

I never saw again! 'Look there,' a pitying voice replied, 'Look there among the slain ''

"The night of that eventful day

Saw me alone indeed;

.But those who perished in the fray,

They did not vainly bleed! And that their fate is unforgot, On yonder column read!

"That day! it lighted up a flame, Which each true patriot fanned, Till, after striving long, we rose, Free from Oppression's hand! Till Independence was proclaimed Throughout our native land!

There exist three species of the Kanguroo, all of which are natives of New Holland. The principal of these is the Great Kanguroo, which was first discovered in 1770, by some of the persons who accompanied Captain Cook. It often measures nine feet in length from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, and weighs a hundred and fifty pounds. The head and neck are very small, while the lower parts gradually dilate to a very great size; the fore legs are hardly nineteen inches long, while the hinder ones, which are perfectly bare and callous beneath, measure three feet seven inches. The head bears some resemblance to that of the deer, having a mild and placid visage; the ears are moderately large and erect, the eyes full, and the mouth rather small. The general color is a pale brown, inclining to white underneath. From the great difference in length of the fore and hind legs, the pace of this animal consists

in vast springs, or bounds, which are said at times to exceed twenty feet in length. It can with ease leap over an obstacle above nine feet high. In its state of rest, it sits erect on the whole length of the hind feet, supporting itself by the base of the tail: which is occasionally used as a weapon of defence, and is of such prodigious strength as to be able to break the leg of a man at a single blow. The female seldom produces more than one young one at a birth, which, when first brought forth, is not above an inch long, and is received into an abdominal pouch, that the female is furnished with, which conceals the teats, and serves as a receptacle to secure the young in time of danger.

The Silver-haired Kanguroo is considerably smaller than the former, and distinguished by the delicacy of its limbs and the superior fineness of its hair.

The Rat Kanguroo differs from the common species in being only of the size of a rabbit. The color is brown with long coarse hair, ash colored beneath; the ears are more rounded, and there are only four toes on the forefeet. On each side of the upper lip are several long whiskers, which are wanting in the great Kanguroo; the head is rather flattened sideways, and the general appearance of the animal is far less elegant and pleasing.

From the Inciter. COMPOSITION.

John. How tired I am of writing composition. I can't think what to write about. William. There is always something or other to write about; you could write a description of a cow, a horse, or a sheep, you could write about an apple tree. It

grows out of the ground and bears blossoms, the blossoms turn to apples, some of the apples are ground and when they are pressed cider runs out. Some of the cider is kept till it gets sour, and then it is called vinegar. Some of the apples are put under ground to preserve them, that they may be had in winter.

Could you not write such a simple thing as this?

John. Yes, I think I can, and I will try if I can give a description of a sheep.

A sheep is an animal; it has four legs, it is hoofed, its hoofs are divided, it is a very gentle animal, it is easily frightened, it yields wool of which some of our clothes are made, it is sheared in the beginning of summer, its flesh we use for food, the skin is tanned and made into leather.

William. Very well, I thought you could compose pretty well, if you only knew it. John. Now I am in good spirits to write composition, and if I get along pretty well, I will show you some of it the next time we meet.

Pepper. This is the dried berry of a climbing plant which grows in the East Indies and most of the islands in the Indian Ocean.

After the berries are gathered, they are spread in the sun, which dries, blackens and shrivek them. This is Black pepper. White pepper is the same berry, with this only difference, that the fruit is permitted to ripen more perfectly, when the best berries are selected, and the inside skin stripped off.

the skin being the most pungent part; and probBlack pepper is much stronger than whie, ably too, the white loses some of its acrid particles in drying, after the skin is removed.

Cayenne pepper is made of various species of the well known Red pepper. It derives its name from Cayenne where it is indigenous, or native

James Brown rose from his bed at six in the morning during the summer. The men and maids of a farm-house rise much sooner than that hour, and go to their daily work. Some yoke the oxen to the plough, some bring the horses in from the field, some mend the hedges, some manure the land, some sow seed in the ground, and some plant young trees. Those who have the care of the sheep, and who are called shepherds, take their flocks from the fold, and lead them to their pasture on the hills, or in

The maids meanwhile haste to' milk the cows, then churn the butter, put the cheese into the cheese-press, clean their dairy, and feed the pigs, geese, turkeys, ducks, and chickens.

James Brown did not work in the fields; so when he rose from his bed, his first care was, to wash his face and hands, to comb and brush his hair; and when these things were done, and he had said his morning prayers, he went with his father about the farm, or weeded the garden. Garden-work was very proper for a boy of his age am: size.

James had a cousin named Thomas, and Thomas Brown once came to pay James a visit. The two boys were very glad to see each other, and Thomas told James of the famous city of London, where he lived. He spoke of the spacious paved streets, crowded all day by throngs of people, and lighted at night by rows, on each side of the way, of glass lamps. He told him of the fine toyshops, where all kinds of playthings for children are sold: such as bats, balls, kites, marbles, tops, drums, trumpets, whips, wheel-barrows, shuttles, dolls, and babyhouses. And of other great shops, where linens, muslins, silks, laces, and ribands fill the windows, and make quite a gay picture to attract the passers by.

He described also the noble buildings, and the great river Thames, with its fine arched bridges, built of stone. He spoke of the immense number of boats, barges, and vessels that sail and row upon the Thames, and of the great ships that lie at anchor there, which bring stores of goods from all parts of the world. He told him of the King's palace, and the Queen's palace, of the park, and the canal, with the stately swans that are seen swimming on it. Nor did he forget to describe St. Paul's Church, with its fine choir, its lofty dome and cupola, and its curious whispering gallery, where a whisper, breathed to the wall on one side, is carried round by the echo, and the words are heard distinctly on the opposite side of the gallery. He spoke also of Westminster Abbey, that fine old Gothic building, which contains a great number of monuments, erected there to keep alive the remembrance of the actions of great and wise men.

He likewise told James of the Tower of London, which is always guarded by sol

diers, and in one part of which he had seen lions, tigers, a wolf, a spotted panther, a white Greenland bear, and other wild beasts, with many sorts of monkeys.

Thomas talked very fast on these subjects, and as James, who had never seen any thing of the kind, was quite silent, and seemed as much surprised as pleased with all that he heard, Thomas began to think his cousin was but a dull stupid sort of a boy. But the next morning, when they went out into the fields, he found that James had as much knowledge as himself, though not of the same kind. Thomas knew not wheat from barley, nor oats from rye; nor did he know the oak tree from the elm, nor the ash from the willow. He had heard that bread was made of corn, but he had never seen it threshed in a barn from the stalks, nor had he ever seen a mill grinding it into flour. He knew nothing of the manner of making and baking bread, of brewing malt and hops into beer, or of the churning of butter. Nor did he even know that the skins of cows, calves, bulls, horses, sheep, and goats, were made into leather.

James perfectly knew these and many other things of the same nature; and he willingly taught his cousin to understand some of the arts that belong to the practice of husbandry.

These friendly and observing boys, after this time, met always once a year, and they were eager in their separate stations to acquire knowledge, that they might impart it to each other at the end of the twelvemonth. So that Thomas, while living in a crowded city, gained a knowledge of farming and all that relates to a country life; and James, though dwelling a hundred miles from London, knew all the curious things that it contained.

From Krummacher's Parables.

THE HYACINTH.

Emily complained of the length of winter. For she loved flowers dearly, and had a small garden where she cultivated the most beautiful with her own hands. Therefore she longed for the departure of winter and the approach of spring.

One day her father said to her, See, Emily, I have brought you a flower root. But you must cultivate it yourself, with care. How can I, dear father, replied the girl. The fields are covered with snow, and the ground is as hard as a stone!

Thus she spake, and she knew not that flowers could be cultivated in vases, for she had never seen it. But her father gave her a small pot filled with earth, and Emily planted the flower root. And she looked at her father and smiled, as if she doubted his sincerity. For she thought that a clear blue sky must be spread over the flowers, and that the gentle air of spring must breathe around them, and did not imagine that such magnificence could flourish in her hands. For modest youthful simplicity knows not its own power.

After a few days the earth rose in the vase, and green leaves came forth and appeared in the light. And Emily rejoiced and announced to her father and mother and to the whole house, the birth of the young plant.

How little is necessary, said the mother, to give joy to the heart, as long as it remains true to nature and simplicity.

the hand performs. Your young plant will doubtless thrive Emily.

Now the leaves came out of the earth, completely formed, and shining with lovely green. And Emily's joy was increased. Oh, said she, with an overflowing heart, I will be satisfied if it never blooms!

Contented soul! said the father. It is just that more should be given you than you venture to hope for. Such is the reward of modest contentment. And he showed her the bud of the flower, that lay concealed among the leaves.

Emily's care and affection increased every day as the flower gradually unfolded. With her tender hands she sprinkled water upon it, inquiring whether it were enough or too much, and whether it might not possibly be too cold for the plant. And whenever the sun looked through the window, she placed her plant, with a light step, in its rays, and her breath blew the dust from the leaves, like the gentle breeze of the morning that plays around the rose.

Oh, sweet union of the tenderest love and innocence said the mother.

Emily's flower occupied her latest thoughts at night and her first thoughts in the morning. In her dreams she often saw her hyacinth in full bloom, and when she discovered the next morning that it had not blown, and that she had been deceived, she seemed perfectly unconcerned, and said, smiling, It may still come to pass! Sometimes she asked her father in what colors the flower would be dressed. And when

say in a cheerful tone, it is all one to me, if it only blooms.

Sweet fantasy, said the father, how beautifully dost thou play around innocent love, and youthful hope!