dents and Teachers, of writing a letter to you-the Sabbathscholars of the great Metropolis. They tell us that their object in wishing us to write is, that a kind and brotherly feeling may be cultivated between us; and how delightful it is to think, that, though you and we have never seen each other, yet we can "love as brethren," as children of one Father. Surely we ought to do so, for the Bible says, "One is your Father, which is in Heaven." And do we not meet and sing many of the same sweet hymns, and read the same good news about Jesus Christ in our Bibles? how that he loved little children, and died for them-for you in London and for us in York? and "the book" tells us that, "If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." When we look around us and compare our lot with that of many others, we feel that we ought to express our gratitude to God for the times in which we live, for the country of our birth, and for the many favourable opportunities we have for the improvement of all those faculties which raise man above, not only the brute creation, but those barbarous nations still living under the reign of darkness and ignorance. If we look back a few centuries at the early history of our little island, we see one vast forest, inhabited by a race of men as debased, ignorant, and heathenish, as any of the tribes of Africa or the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Their clothing consisted of the skins of wild animals, their bodies were daubed with coloured earth, and they lived on acorns and roots, with the flesh of animals killed in the chase. They worshipped the sun, moon, rivers, trees, and various other objects; and, what was worse, they offered human beings-men, women, and children-in burnt sacrifices to their false gods. There are many opinions as to the precise time when Christianity was introduced into our island, as well as to the persons by whom it was brought; but we do not feel ourselves competent to decide. The Gospel, however, the good news to man, has come, attended with all the blessings of civilization; and as we look at our present position, our glorious advantages, our various religious, scientific, and charitable institutions, our Bible Societies, our Missionary Societies, our Temperance Societies, our churches and chapels, and last, though not least, our dearly loved Sabbath-schools-when thinking of the past and the present, we may say, in the language of one of the hymns which we sing "I thank the goodness and the grace That on my birth have smiled, We hope you sing this, and feel the gratitude which we all, as Perhaps you would like to know something about the place in which we live. We will try to tell you as well as we can, You must not expect that we should write a great deal about it, but only mention a few things of interest. York, you know, is a city of very great antiquity, numbering nearly 40,000 inhabitants; indeed, we think that there are few places in England which are so ancient. It is supposed by historians that York was first founded by Ebranc, about the time when David reigned king over Israel; but little, however, is known respecting it until the Romans landed in England, B.c. 55. York became one of their largest stations, was made the residence of the Roman emperors, one of whom, named Severus, died in York, A.D. 212; and, according to custom, his body was burnt on the top of a large hill near York; the ashes were put into a golden urn, and sent to Rome. Constantine the Great was born at York, A.D. 272. During the time York was occupied by the Romans, it became a very flourishing place, having a harbour capable of containing several hundreds of the Roman ships, or galleys. But time has wonderfully changed this. What was then the harbour is now a large bog, called Foss Islands. Remains of their buildings, walls, pavements, temples, and sculptures, are still to be seen, and more are being discovered, as different places in the city are excavated for building. William the Conqueror besieged York A.D. 1069, nearly burnt it to the ground, and took the castle and filled it with his soldiers. Soon after the citizens attacked the Normans, and put 3,000 of them to death in the castle. In the year 1137, York was again nearly destroyed by fire; besides private houses, the Minster, St. Mary's Abbey, the Hospital, and forty churches were burnt to the ground. The first parliament held in England met at York, in the year 1160. About this time York was, perhaps, the most famous city in England. King Edward held his court here for six weeks, attended by his retinue of lords, dukes, and an array of 60,000 men, who were all garrisoned in York. But since then the hand of time, and the still greater havoc of war, have changed York very materially. We should not forget to tell you that the first printing press was erected at York, in the year 1509. York has, like many places, suffered dreadfully from the ambition and cruelty of wicked men who have besieged it, murdered its inhabitants, demolished its buildings, and in a few hours destroyed the peace and produce of years. The city is about two miles and a half in circumference, or half a mile less than the City of London. It is built on the banks of the Ouse, a beautiful winding stream; and, of late years, promenades have been formed on its banks, which extend for miles above and below the city. The blessings of peace are seen on every hand in York, and what were once used as fortifications and places of defence, are now converted into places of recreation and amusement. The walls, that extend nearly round the city, have been changed and restored, forming pleasant walks; their elevation is such that it enables us to take large and extensive views of the city, its principal buildings, its railway station, as well as the beautiful scenery surrounding it. There are many places of note, and buildings of antiquity and grandeur: we can only make a passing notice of the most prominent. The noble cathedral, one of the finest specimens of architecture in England, built in the form of a cross, with three large towers. The exterior of the building is ornamented with hundreds of figures and spires, and with much beautiful tracery, which, together with the height of its towers, form a picture on which you may gaze and ever find new beauties. The interior is still more imposing: to describe its pillars, arches, windows, sculptures, choir, organ, and all the other ornaments, would make this letter much too long. We would just tell you that, in 1829, Jonathan Martin set fire to it, was tried, and sent to Bethlehem Hospital, in London, where he died; and, in 1840, it was again damaged by fire. There are about thirty churches in York, many of them well attended; and a large number of chapels belonging to various religious denominations. The castle, as seen outside, is a modern building, but contains within its walls Clifford's Tower, a ruin of those bygone ages of cruelty and oppression in which we said, in the former part of this letter, so many soldiers were slain. The castle is now used as a prison for felons, cheats, and debtors, and outside the wall is a place for the execution of criminals. There are also many other buildings, but we have not space to write more. We have various charitable and benevolent institutions, schools for the blind, for the orphan, and deserving poor, where they are fed, clothed, and educated. Then there are many day schools-some free, and others at very low charges. There is also a mechanics' institute, a temperance society, and a goodly number of Sabbath-schools. You will, perhaps, wonder why we say so much about our city; it is because we love it, and think that" There is no place like home." But you will want to know something about ourselves. So we hasten on to tell you about our schools, and the society with which they are connected. (To be concluded in our next.) THE EDITOR TO HIS NEW READERS AMONG THE SCHOLARS OF THE WESLEYAN REFORM SCHOOLS. will MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-You have now before you & specimen of "THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR," and I hope you like it. It is intended to give you pleasure, instruction, and spiritual benefit. I shall always study your welfare and try to do you good, "THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR" has already a circulation of about 17,000 monthly, amongst various religious churches and Sunday-schools. Help me to increase its circulation. Try to get your school-companions and others to take it in. You may get it from your teachers or any respectable bookseller. The Lord bless you. W. COOKE. OUR YOUTH'S DEPARTMENT. AN ATTACK BY AN EAGLE. THE Eagle is a bold and ferocious bird, daring to attack not only various animals, but even man himself. Some time not very long since, two gentlemen, who were exploring the wonders of nature in the vicinity of Eagle Lake, in North America, one of them ventured to climb a tall spruce tree that stood near by; and accordingly flung aside his pack, pulled off his boots, and depositing them with his armour at the foot of the tree, commenced the ascent. After climbing some fifty or sixty feet, his ears were suddenly pierced by the screams of a huge eagle, and his face at the same time brushed by her wings, and torn by her claws. As the enraged bird passed round her airy circuit, repeating her sharp and threatening notes, the eye of the adventurer fell upon a deep black lake below him; and he for the first time discovered that the tree he had ascended stood upon the brink of a precipice of fearful height, overhanging the dark abyss where the jealous bird of liberty had planted her nest and secured her young. By this time the gathering foe had again made her circle, and, coming like an arrow through the air, pounced upon his head, and, striking her talons through his cap and wig, tore them from his naked scalp, and hurled them to the ground. Not exactly a back-out, but a back-down, was the immediate result; and the vanquished knight, as he landed upon terra firma, audibly thanked God, and remarked to his companion that his satisfaction was unbounded, seeing that the matter had ended no worse. Numerous cases are recorded in which children have been carried off by eagles, and from these we select the following, on account of the authenticity which attends them :— Martin, in his " Description of the Western Islands of Scotland," states that a native of the Isle of Skye, named Neil, was, when an infant, left by his mother in the open fields, and that an eagle carried him away during her absence to the farther side of a neighbouring loch, and there laid him on the ground. Some people, while herding sheep, perceived the circumstance, and ran to the infant's rescue, whom they found unhurt, and carried home to his mother. In Anderson's "History of Iceland," it is affirmed, that children of even four or five years old incur the same unhappy fate; and we are told that a Norwegian boy, two years of |