On the night of Tuesday, October the 25th, came one of the most fearful storms of wind and rain and darkness over England that has been known for many years. Much property was destroyed and several lives lost on land; and it was feared that many vessels along the coasts would be wrecked. In a few days the newspapers reported the loss of many, and in some cases with all on board. But the most distressing and awful was that of the Royal Charter, a fine Australian screw steamship, on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesea, Wales. She left Melbourne on the 25th of August, with 500 souls on board-385 passengers, and a crew, including officers and boys, of 112 men, and had a good voyage. When passing Queenstown, in Ireland, thirteen passengers left the vessel; but eleven men were taken on board from a steam-tug in the Irish Channel. There were, therefore, 498 persons on board when the ship struck the rocks, of whom only thirty-nine were saved, leaving the loss of life 459. It appears that the ship passed by Holyhead in the afternoon, when they could see the Great Eastern lying in the harbour, and moved on round the western point of the island; but the wind was dead against them, and with the night the storm came on, increasing in power and violence. They then cast anchors, but so furious was the gale that the chains parted, and though the engines were worked at full power, the vessel drifted, stern first, on the rocks; but the mighty waves beating on her soon turned her round broadside on. It was now a fearful time, being pitchy dark, with heavy rain. Yet the greatest order prevailed, and though there was much fear, hope had not forsaken them, for one of the crew, a noble fellow, a Portuguese sailor, at the risk of his life, leaped over into the surf and carried a rope on shore, just as the day began to dawn; to the rope they fastened a hawser, and were preparing to send the women and children on shore first in a boatswain's chair, when a tremendous wave struck her, broke her in two midships, and down they all went as into an open chasm! How mysteriously awful was this dreadful catastrophe! This fine vessel had brought her cargo of 500 souls in safety over thousands of miles of ocean from the other end of the world, and now on the opening of the morning of the day when they expected to land at Liverpool, they find a watery grave within a stone's throw of the shore! Besides this great loss of human life, and of a valuable vessel, it is supposed there was £800,000 worth of gold on board, which they are now attempting to recover. Only a few days before, the Queen, on her return from Scotland, was on a visit to Colonel the Hon. Douglas Pennant, at Penryhn Castle, near Bangor, from whence is a view of the sea past Beaumaris, and towards the spot where the wreck took place. Puffin Island, on which some years ago the Rothesay Castle, a Liverpool steam vessel, was lost, when many perished, may, we believe, be seen from the Castle, and it was about midway between that island of sand and Amlwich Port, at a place called Moelfra, that this great loss of life occurred. Some of the survivors relate affecting scenes between husbands and wives, and parents and children, during those long hours of alarm and agony which passed over the sufferers from the time when the ship struck, and the scene closed! Only a few minutes before these hundreds of men, women, and children were engulfed in the deep, the captain had expressed his hope of saving them, and a pious clergyman had been engaged in prayer with them. We hear, too, that two other ministers had intended to come by the vessel, but it appears that they did not, and so were saved from this lamentable and awful catastrophe, which has filled the hearts of many with sorrow and distress. THE PEACOCK. A GOOD deal of discussion has taken place respecting the precise meaning of the word which is rendered Peacocks in the Authorized Version (1 Kings x. 22; 2 Chron. ix. 21; and in Job xxxix. 13.) Some have supposed that a crested parrot is meant, others that the pheasant is the bird intended, but the weight of evidence is in favour of the usual rendering. There are only two species of true peacocks, viz., that under consideration, and another more recently discovered, which differs in some particulars, and originally belongs to Japan and China. Peacocks bear the cold of the Himalayas: they run with great swiftness, and where they are serpents do not abound, as they devour the young with avidity, and, it is said, attack with spirit even the cobra de capello when grown to considerable size, arresting its progress and confusing it by the rapidity and variety of their evolutions around it, till exhausted with fatigue it is struck on the head and despatched. As our readers must be familiar with the English peacock we need not say much of its appearance or habits. But it is not a common bird amongst us, and is only found near the mansions of the rich, who preserve a few of them for the ornament of their parks and lawns. It is not able to fly far, but sometimes in colder weather it will reach a chimney top and seat itself there to enjoy the warmth of the smoke, though at the risk of soiling its splendid plumage. It loves sunshine, and may then often be seen erecting the starry feathers of its long tail over its head in a circular form, so as to catch the rays of the sun, when its appearance affords one of the most splendid natural objects to be seen in this country. It was in allusion to this peculiar mode of displaying its brilliant plumage that Dr. Young wrote: "How rich the Peacock! what bright glories run From plume to plume, and vary in the sun! He proudly spreads them to the golden ray, DEATH OF A NATIVE CHRISTIAN BOY. AT the commencement of the rainy season, cholera in the most virulent form, broke out in the Boys' Asylum; and in two or three days, the matron and two of the elder boys were smitten by its power. We could not but feel much humbled at this visitation, as it was at a time when much affliction prevailed in our own family. JONAS was the first attacked; we had some hope that he would recover-but our hopes soon failed us. He was perfectly conscious, and spoke with great freedom to ourselves and native christians on his personal interest in Christ. About midnight we heard him sing very loudly one of our christian poems; and as it was suitable to his case, we give the following translation: After singing the above verses he exclaimed, "O Lord, now take me to thyself," and instantly expired. Five years ago he gave us much anxiety and care; but the grace of God entirely changed his life and character. At the time of his death, he was being trained at the Government school for a native teacher in the hill country. MY BABY BAPTISM; OR, THE BAPTISM THAT I WAS BAPTIZED WITH WHEN I WAS A BABY. [Some years ago a bulky volume was published by a retired wealthy tradesman, the production of his leisure hours, entitled— "Extracts from Ancient and Modern Authors, arranged so as to form a History or Description of Man, in his Natural, Moral, and Spiritual Character." Under the article "BAPTISM," the Compiler gives the following amusing piece of Auto-Biography.] I was born in the autumn of the year, nearly half a century ago, in a country village between the Malvern Hills and the Black Mountains, in Wales; and at the Christmas following, my parents deemed it a good opportunity to make me a christian, as the register book of a certain church can testify. Accordingly, four safe and respectable persons were expressly selected to become my sureties or sponsors, commonly called godfathers and godmothers. The day arrived, and all parties willingly obeyed the summons; the church bell, like a military drum, giving the signal to march. Soon after we arrived at the parish church, and were conducted to the place called the font; i. e., a block of stone carved in the ancient gothic style, the top concave, in which stood a small pewter porringer, with about half a pint of water. When we were all arranged in single file round this christening block the priest came in, and, in an audible voice, asked, "Has this child been already baptized or not?" This was answered by one of my bondswomen in the negative. He then proceeded with the ceremony, i. e., he commenced transforming me from a lump of flesh and blood and matter to a christian, by regenerating me, by giving me another birth, and engrafting me into the Church of Christ; according to the following form.* We are here taught to believe that some strange, unaccountable, secret change took place in me, that something "which by nature I could not have," was charmed into me and we find by reading a little more of this ceremony, that this was not a form of words only, or a prayer offered up and the result left to the will of God; but that the change actually did take place while the priest was performing the ceremony upon me, by sprinkling water in my face, and signing me with the sign of the cross; for the whole party kneeled down, and the priest said," We yield thee most hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regene * See Book of Common Prayer. |