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What sleepless days and nights the poor wives and children spent, while the men were buried! Father, mother, have you a boy, or girl, whom you know is yet in the pit of sin? Have you no anxiety about them? Will you not warn them? If death make the pit shut her mouth on them, they are lost for ever!

THE QUEEN AND "THE SILENT COMFORTER." IN the town of Kildare, in Ireland, lives one of the best of men as curate-the Rev. T. D. Harper. He has established a private printing-press, and carries on all the work of printing, partly by his own hands. From his press are issued a great many valuable little works, and amongst these, one which he has prepared and published, and called by him The Silent Comforter. It is printed in three parts, in large clear type, for the aged to read it. Last summer this little work was brought under the notice of her Majesty, and she procured three copies of it. One of these was sent to Prussia to the Crown Princess, another copy to another exalted individual, and the Princess Alice carried the third copy with her own hands to a sick girl dying near the Palace from consumption. Since the death of the Prince Consort, the Rev. Mr. Harper has received an order direct from the palace for a number of his little work, The Silent Comforter, and an order for a larger number for the use of all the household of the palace.-Rev. Mr. Henderson, Chaplain at the Curragh Camp, Ireland.

THE BAKERS AND SABBATH WORK.

THE bakers of Wick and Pulteneytown have come under a voluntary obligation that they will not perform, or cause to be performed, any bakehouse work on Sabbath after the 1st February. A plan has been devised by an Edinburgh baker, whereby bread can be produced at an early hour on Monday morning without requiring that any work be done on the Sabbath.

INDIA.

CALCUTTA.

WE deeply regret to learn that the state of Dr. Duff's health has forced him to seek, for a time, retirement and change of air. After struggling with bodily illness for many weeks, he went, for change of air, to Ranchi, Chota, Nagpore. It is cause of much thankfulness to know that he was already beginning to feel the benefit of the change; so that now he is hopeful, by God's blessing, of renewed health.

MADRAS.

Examination of Girls' Schools.

THE annual examination of all the schools was held on the 19th November. Lady Denison presided, taking the deepest interest in the proceedings. She suggested many questions to me to be put to the girls. A very large number of our friends were present, the largest number ever present at any examination. Everything went on quietly and well.-Rev. Mr. Campbell.

BOMBAY.

Hindoo Girls' Boarding-School.

DURING the past year one of the pupils of the "mission house school" has embraced Christianity, and since been married to a convert. Her case is one of peculiar interest, as, at her birth, she was devoted to the goddess Bhavani. She received special instruction before her baptism. She appears to feel what she owes to the grace of God for her deliverance from ruin, and her being brought into the fold of the Good Shepherd.-Rev. Dr. Wilson.

A Lamb taken Home.

In the Mission House there died lately Isabella W. Mazda, the daughter of one of the catechists of the mission, aged ten years, who displayed, during her long illness, remarkable Christian "intelligence and relish for

divine truth, and who enjoyed perfect peace in Christ when the hour of her departure approached. Her family have noted down much connected with her last days, and the narrative forms a simple record which might prove encouraging to the Christian heart in any land. She was an inmate of the Boarding School for several years.— Rev. Dr. Wilson.

POONA.

A CORRESPONDENT writes of date 9th November :

"I have the pleasant news to tell you that three of our dear little girls were baptized last Sabbath. It was a day of great privilege and no small emotion. At the early service (7.30 A.M.) the three girls made their public profession, and were admitted into the Church by Dr. M. Mitchell. At eleven o'clock we had another service, when Mr. White preached, Dr. M. Mitchell presiding. It was a delightful service; I never saw so many com. municants present before, and the Lord was felt to be in the midst of us.

THE JEWS..
PESTH.

WORD has been received from this station of the death of Mr. Maag, one of the teachers in our mission.

Mr. Maag was a Swiss, educated at Benggen near Basle, and was engaged by Mr. Van Andel as a teacher in our institution in October 1859. His success in his new sphere had been all that could possibly have been expected.

CONSTANTINOPLE.

Two Russian Inquirers.

A fortnight ago, two Russian Jews, respectably attired, entered my study. They had just arrived from the interior of their native country. Five years ago, they said, a gentleman passed through their native town, from whom they received the New Testament and some

Hebrew tracts. Their attention was then first directed to Christianity, and, being prevented from searching the Scriptures by hostile relatives, they left home and have now been led to us. One of the two is ill at present, the other is daily with me, sometimes for hours. His appearance is that of an earnest inquirer.-Rev. Mr. Koenig.

NEW ZEALAND.

Preaching at the Diggings.

THE Rev. Mr. Todd, of Tokomariro, present Moderator of the Presbytery of Otago, writes to Dr. Bonar, under date 9th October:

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"I returned from the gold fields on Monday last, having preached on Sabbath to large audiences in the open air. There are now from eight to ten thousand people in the diggings. From the commencement the members of Presbytery have held divine service every Sabbath."

"THE BEGINNING OF MY RUIN."

A YOUNG man was going to be hung for murder. As he stood upon the scaffold, he spoke to the great crowd gathered round in this manner:

"My friends, you have come to see a man die. Let me advise you to take warning by me. The beginning of my ruin was Sabbath-breaking. This led me into bad company from bad company I went to drinking; from drinking to robbing orchards and gardens; from this to house-breaking; and from this to murder. Thus I have been brought to my present sad condition. Many of you are young; in an especial manner let me warn you to beware of Sabbath-breaking.'

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"WHOSE END IS DESTRUCTION."

WHOSO curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.-Prov. xx. 20.

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WHAT a power there is in kindness! In a family in Edinburgh there are three children. There is Charles, a fine little fellow of ten, who is at school all day, and a diligent, capital scholar. Then there is sweet wee Mary, between five and six ; and there is Tommy, another little brother of two, scarce much bigger than a baby. They are all as happy as children can be. Though Charles is older than the rest, he plays with the little ones, and never speaks a cross word to them. So they love him with all their hearts, and they watch at the window and weary for Charlie coming home from school.

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