Jack saw that anyhow he had a berth offered him; the weather was getting cold for sleeping on doorsteps, so down he went, washed and dressed, and did not dare to ask for the turkey which he expected for dinner. Alas! no turkey but some salt beef came up. He at last summoned courage to ask one of the sailors where the ship was going. "To Turkey," he said, "to fetch fruits-figs, plums, and raisins." Jack had never learnt any geography, and had no idea where Turkey was, or whether they would be a day or a month getting there. However he was in for it; but was ashamed to own, that when the captain asked if he would go to Turkey, never having heard there was such a place, he imagined he must be invited to eat one.

Well! away they went down the Thames, amongst crowds of ships, through the Straits of Dover, and by the white cliffs of England, along the English Channel, into the Atlantic Ocean; they had a good toss in the Bay of Biscay, where Jack was too sick to be frightened; through the Straits of Gibralta, which, to his astonishment, he found belonged to England,—that, is the rock does,—from which England could fire away so as to beat off any visitors she did not like,—on through the Mediterranean Sea, till they reached Constantinople, the chief city.

"What do you call it?" said Jack; "I never can remember such a long name.'

"Perhaps you will," says the captain, who was always fond of a joke, "when I tell you a riddle about it. Why is a man who is always changing his medicines like the capital city of Turkey? Because

he is constant-to-no-pill. Now you will always remember it, I am sure."

It looks beautiful till you get into its narrow dark streets, full of dirt and howling dogs; men waddling about in long petticoats, looking as if they had never done a day's work in their lives; no women of the better sort to be seen, and poor ones with their faces hidden as if they were ashamed of themselves. And no doubt they are, for the religion of Turkey tells them women have no souls. They are not Christians, but believe in a man called Mahomet, who told them he came from God, and they must do as he told them. He ordered them to pray five times a day, and their churches, which are called mosques, are always full of people; but their prayers seem chiefly to be "Allah is good! None is good but Allah!" over and over again

Mahomet gives a Turk leave to have four wives; but he shuts them up tight, and they do nothing but dress themselves, eat sweetmeats, drink coffee, and smoke. The Sultan, who is king, has 600 of these poor creatures. If any woman offends her husband, she is put into a sack, and tumbled into the Bosphorus (find it on the map), and no more is heard of her. The sultan can order off anybody's head without judge or jury; and often it has happened that the princes, and even the Sultan himself is killed, no one. knows exactly how or why.

Jack began to think that London streets and a doorstep for a bed was a better place to live in than this queer country. But he went there four years ago. Since then, the Sultan has been to London, and other

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parts of Europe, and has got ashamed of the idleness and ignorance of his people, and ever since, he has been trying to make Turkey more like Christian countries. Just now he has suddenly ordered every child in his kingdom to learn to read, write, and do sums. He is generally obeyed; but whether he is clever enough to force all the idle, stupid, tiresome boys in Turkey to read, write, and cypher, I doubt. I know our Queen could not do it here. If he can, perhaps Jack will see a wonderful improvement when he makes his next voyage. He begins to think that he is better off than if it had been a turkey to eat that the captain offered him.

They brought back lots of raisins and currants for Christmas plum-puddings; and in case people eat too much of them, plenty of rhubarb-not the stalks that make tarts, but the red powder that your mother gives you for a sick headache.

Turkey is a country that does not count for much. Indeed, some years, ago, Russia proposed to divide it amongst two or three other kingdoms; but English people don't like to see the weak bullied, and told Russia to keep her distance; and when she would not, the French and we made her—for Turkey could not help herself.

But now that the Sultan has found out that keeping his people in ignorance does not answer, perhaps they will bestir themselves. One hopes they will not go on being Mahometans when they know more about Christian countries, and that alone would set free the poor women. None of you boys, or girls either, know how much you owe to mothers and

sisters, or what roughs you would probably become, if you looked upon them as dolls, to be shut up and never seen nor heard, instead of being as they now are, the comfort of your lives whenever you are sick or in trouble.

ASIA.

THE large continent of Asia contains half the inhabitants of the globe. The most northern part is Siberia, a dreadfully, cold icy country, to which, as I told you, the Czar of Russia sends his convicts, instead of keeping them in prison. And in Siberia the poor creatures generally die. Towards the middle of Asia you will find China, the place from which all the best china teacups used to come. The Chinese are a queer set of people, and speak a most curious language, very difficult to learn. I read some verses making fun of it, of which I will repeat two lines:

"Go home and tell your mother

I don't believe you Chinamen
Can understand each other."

We

The Chinese hate strangers coming into their country; so we cannot teach them our ways. get almost all our tea from thence, as well as a great deal of silk. China is called the "Flowery Land,” and our China roses and dahlias came first from thence, besides Chinese primroses and camellias.

The Chinese have a big wall, which they built to keep strangers out; it is 1,500 miles long.

You girls should be thankful that you were not born in China; for there, little girls' feet are bound

up to prevent their growing; in fact, they are cripples. A Chinese lady's shoe is about big enough for an English child of three years old.

Japan consists of some islands to the east of China. The Japanese used to kill every stranger who set foot on their land; but they have behaved better of late, and are willing to trade with us, and let us have Japanese silks, and fans, and what is called Japan-work-those odd gold figures on a black ground that you see on tea-trays.

In the south of Asia is the great big country of India, which belongs to the English. But you can read plenty about it in the Sixth Standard.

The most interesting country in Asia is Palestine, or the Holy Land. There is the city of Jerusalem, but not the one of which you read in the Bible. The present one was built upon its ruins.

There are the mountains of Lebanon, and Mount Carmel, and Mount Hermon, and the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. The river Jordan runs through the Sea of Galilee, on to the Dead Sea. The waters of the Dead Sea have a most horrible taste.

It seems strange that this country, where Christianity was first taught, should not belong to Christians; but the people, like the Turks, believe in the false teaching of a man named Mahomet, who died many years ago.

The Jews expect to return there and possess the place at some future time; now they like to go there to die. To the east of the Red Sea is a country called Arabia. It is, in many parts, a sandy