provide for his family, and to pay the doctor, he feared he should be obliged to sell part of his stock. If his wife and family were long ill, and he retained his strength, the doctor would give him credit, and he should be able to pay him by degrees in the course of a year or two. The thought of applying for assistance in any quarter appears never to have entered his mind. We suggested that the Bureau de Bienfaisance, or charitable individuals, might afford him aid in such a difficulty, but, with evident marks of surprise at the suggestion, he replied cheerfully that he must take care of himself.

WEEKLY DIRECTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE VINE, FROM THE BURSTING OF THE BUD TO THE FALL OF THE LEAF.

TAKE notice. These rules apply to a moderate situation and season; if the plant be in a very favourable aspect, or a remarkably good season takes place, the changes in the growth of the shoots, &c. will be a little earlier, or if, on the other hand, the situation and season be unfavourable, a few days later.

April 1st. This is an interesting time of the year to watch the vine, the plant having been, as it were, asleep during the winter, begins to awake, and the buds are seen to swell. Look at them carefully to see if they are stopped in their growth, by the shoots being nailed too closely to the wall or otherwise; if so, the shreds which confine them must be cut. In dry weather, fork up the border to the depth of a couple of inches, that the soil may be loose, and open to receive the full benefit of the sun and air.

8th. The buds will now be so far open as to show the ends of the first bunches of fruit, look again over the buds, and if any have not enough room to push their shoots freely, give them room directly.

15th. Some of the buds will now have grown two or three inches in length, the small buds, which often shoot near the principal ones, should now be nibbed off.

22nd. Continue to look at the shoots, and if any be crippled in their growth, set them free.

29th. If any small or second shoots be still left, rub them off, weed and rake the border smooth and clean.

THE BASTILE.

THE word Bastile means a small ancient castle, fortified with turrets; but the name has been principally known as only applied to that in the city of Paris, the capital of France, which was built in the year 1383, and is celebrated as having been a state prison under the rule of the French kings. Whatever persons were suspected of crimes against the government were here imprisoned, and often upon very weak evidence, or at the caprice of the monarch or minister. If it had been only employed for the confinement of those who were justly accused, it would have had a very different name in history; but the injustice and cruelty which were committed within its walls, have made it to be regarded with horror even by those who look upon the French Revolution as a crime, and as one of the greatest in the history of the world. The cruelties endured by those who were unhappily suspected of treason or other crimes, were very severe indeed; many persons were imprisoned for life in a very small cell, deprived of all society, and only supplied with the necessaries of life. No doubt there were a great many guilty criminals justly punished in this prison; but very often the envy or malice of those in power were sufficient reasons for the confinement of their rivals or opponents in politics. After a long course of years, the French nation became violent in their revenge, and it unfortunately broke out during the reign of one of the least oppressive of their kings. They were soon so much excited by the speeches and writings of wicked and designing men, that they were not content with having their grievances redressed, but proceeded to become themselves much more cruel and savage tyrants than ever their rulers had been towards them. In their demand for liberty, they fell into the most abominable licentiousness. They committed not only the dreadful sins of" sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion," but proceeded to the commission of murder in its most savage form, destroying many thousand lives in the course of a few months. The unhappy king, not having that firm and established power which exists in our own country, but being weakened by the injustice and folly of the kings

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who lived before him, was unable to stand against the fury of the people. His authority, not having the strong foundation of the people's affections and respect, was soon broken when once assaulted; and there being no scriptural religion among the people, they were not restrained by any obedience to the will of God, in their headlong and desperate course of wickedness. God Almighty appeared, in his just indignation, to have permitted Satan to torment that wicked nation for a time with almost all his power and malice. And the period during which these horrible murders were going on, was called ever after the Reign of Terror.

One of the first acts of the Revolution was the assault made upon the Bastile, which the mob of Paris suddenly attacked, and utterly destroyed, bringing out the wretched prisoners who were confined in it, and setting them at liberty. But in truth it would have been better for them to have remained in their prison, than have come out to be the witnesses of all the horrors which so soon succeeded. The outbreak which then took place is called the French Revolution, which, having lasted for some years, was followed by the rise of Napoleon Buonaparte, whose name is well known to almost all. He was a successful and talented warrior, who gradually rose to the greatest power in France, and who was the cause of more misery and deaths in Europe than any single person perhaps who ever lived. The people of France acquired so great a taste for war and bloodshed, that nothing else would please them, and they have not yet recovered from the effects of that dreadful period of their history.

The French Revolution remains in history as a tremendous example for the warning of all nations. It is calculated to teach kings and rulers to govern with moderation and mercy towards their subjects, and at the same time to show the people the sin and folly of attempting to redress their wrongs by violence. Whenever they commit the sin of rebellion, they have suffered more from its effects than ever they had endured under the heaviest tyranny; and it appears as if the providence of God always visited such national transgressions with judicial punishments.

TRUE FAITH.

THERE was a very highly respectable and upright man in the little town of S- who had for many years carried on business in trade to a considerable extent, and was in comfortable circumstances, but not wealthy. Indeed, it was said by many in the place that Mr. John G—— was too honest a man to become very rich in his business, because he always sold the best goods to his customers at the lowest price he could afford; and this price he settled, not with a secret desire to gain as much as possible, but merely to obtain a due profit on the sum he was obliged to lay out. Many tradesmen say they do the same, but few really keep to their words, when a tempting opportunity occurs. He was, however, brought up in the strictest practice of honesty, and always believed it to be a part of honesty to take no more from his customers than he wished them to take from him in similar circumstances. He had many things to buy himself, and knew well how bad an opinion he formed of those who tried to overcharge him, and how much pain it caused him when it happened. He was taught to put himself into the place of others, and to regard that royal law of the Apostle St. James, as the commandment of God, and for his sake to be strictly followed. This account of Mr. G-— will be enough to show that he was a most estimable and excellent member of society; but on the subject of religion he was considerably prejudiced against many truths which are undoubtedly revealed in holy Scripture.

It may be, that he did not rightly understand them, and this was most probably the case; but the effect was very unfortunate, as it caused him not only to lose the benefits for which they were revealed, but to attempt to dissuade others from embracing them. The instance of his grievous mistake which I am going to give, is one of the most important that could be chosen, and will show the power of prejudice in a very strong light. He was acquainted with many sincerely religious persons, and had frequently been recommended by them to read books which were calculated to do him good. One thing, however, he never could agree with them in, and that is the importance of the doctrine of faith. His language always