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spoke, the humble ditcher lifted up his head, with the spade in his hand. The query was again proposed, but with greater certainty, "It is Mr. Dawson, we presume?" "Yes, gentlemen, my name is Dawson." "We have been deputed to wait upon you," naming the place and occasion, request your kindly aid." Mr. Dawson returned,-" You must be mistaken of your man." 'No; it is no mistake; go, and help you must; we cannot do without you." Lifting the spade, he struck it into the earth; and quitting the handle, he said,― "If it must be so, why then, it shall be so." Just at that moment, he put his first and third finger into his mouth-doubling the second and fourth, and, drawing a full breath, sent forth a shrill whistle, that might have been heard a considerable distance from the place. Instantly, on the sound striking the ear, a man popped his head over the hedge, a little further down the field, ready to attend the signal. Mr. Dawson waved his hand; and the man appearing on the spot, he said,"You must go on with this job,-cut in that direction,-so low-and it will be a right depth." So saying, and the servant replying, "Very well," Mr. Dawson threw his coat over his arm, and proceeded homeward with the gentlemen, where there was a cold collation provided for them. Before Mr. Dawson himself partook of it, he went up stairswashed-shaved-and in a few minutes, appeared at the table, attired in black, with all the respectability of an English squire. They soon entered the chaise; and being in fine health and spirits, Mr. Dawson kept them alive the whole of the way to Leeds with wit and anecdote. They soon found they were in the presence of a man who would lend them efficient help; he proceeded with them, and at the meeting-crowded, and in one of the largest chapels in the Connexion-the whole tide of popular feeling was in his favour.-Everett's Life of William Dawson.

A LAKE OF FIRE.

WE were standing on the extreme edge of a precipice, overhanging a lake of molten fire, a hundred feet below us, and nearly a mile across. Dashing against the cliffs on the opposite side, with a noise like the roar of a stormy ocean, waves of bloodred, fiery, liquid lava hurled their billows upon an iron-bound headland, and then rushed up the face of the cliffs to toss their gory spray high in the air. The restless, heaving lake boiled and bubbled, never remaining the same for two minutes together. Its normal colour seemed to be a dull dark red, covered with a thin, grey scum, which every moment and in every part swelled and cracked, and emitted fountains, cascades, and whirlpools of yellow and red fire, while sometimes one big golden river, sometimes four or five, flowed across it. There was an island on one side of the lake, which the fiery waves seemed to attack unceasingly with relentless fury, as if bent on hurling it from its base. On the other side was a large cavern, into which the burning mass rushed with a loud roar, breaking down in its impetuous headlong career the gigantic_stalactites that overhung the mouth of the cave, and flinging up the liquid material for the formation of fresh ones. It was all terribly grand, magnificently sublime; but no words could adequately describe such a scene. The precipice on which we were standing overhung the crater so much that it was impossible to see what was going on immediately beneath; but from the columns of smoke and vapour that arose, the flames and sparks that constantly drove us back from the edge, it was easy to imagine that there must have been two or three grand fiery fountains below. As the sun set, and darkness enveloped the scene, it became more awful than ever. The violent struggles of the lava to escape from its fiery bed, and the loud and awful noises by which they were at times accompanied, suggested the idea that some imprisoned monsters were trying to release themselves from their bondage, with shrieks and groans, and cries of agony and despair, at the futility of

their efforts. Sometimes great pieces broke off and tumbled with a crash into the burning lake, only to be remelted and thrown up anew.-Mrs. Brassey in "Voyage of the Sunbeam."

HUMILITY.

WE Confess our nothingness before God; but do we mean it? Or, do we think to please God by untruth? It is one thing to wish to be thought humble; and another thing to be humble. True humility is not unwilling to be thought proud. For if it be thought proud, it will go without the praise of humility. And humility is only concerned to be humble, and not to have the praise of it.

Humility is so beautiful in the sight of God, and so difficult of attainment, that it must be the care and labour of our life to deepen its root within us. Especially, we should press our sins into this service. If we keep them before us, to chastise and humble our souls therewith, God will cast them behind His back. If sinners should be humble, how much more sinners who are seeking to be saved by an humble Saviour!-Aids to Thought. Pulsford's Quiet Hours. Pp. 71, 72.

Phenomena of the Months.

JULY.

THE sun rises on the 1st at forty-nine minutes after three, and sets at seventeen minutes after eight. On the 31st he rises at twenty-four minutes after four, and sets at forty-seven minutes after seven. Hence the day shortens in the morning thirty-seven minutes, and in the evening thirty minutes, one hour and seven minutes in 'the month.

The moon is full on the 11th at thirteen minutes after two in the afternoon. New moon on the 26th at nineteen minutes after five in the morning. She will be near Saturn on the morning of the 19th, Mars and

Jupiter on the morning of the 20th, Venus and Mercury on the morning of the 25th. She is nearest the earth on the 12th, and most distant from it on the 26th.

Mercury is an evening star till the 11th of the month, and a morning star towards the end of the month. She is at the greatest distance from the sun on the 3rd.

Venus is a morning star, rising on the 1st two hours and twenty-two minutes before the sun, and on the last day three hours and twenty-five minutes before the sun.

Mars rises on the 1st at thirty-two minutes after twelve a.m., and on the last day at six minutes after seven

a.m.

Jupiter is a morning star, rising on the 1st at fifty-seven minutes after twelve a.m., and on the last day at forty-eight minutes after six a.m.

Saturn rises on the 1st at forty-five minutes after twelve a.m. On the 29th at fifty-two minutes after ten p.m.

High water at London Bridge on the 1st at forty minutes after four in the morning, and fifty-seven minutes after four in the afternoon. On the 31st at forty-seven minutes after four in the morning, and two minutes after five in the afternoon.

The writer of these notes was born on the 2nd, 1803, and the celebrated Garibaldi on the 4th, 1807. Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary, fourth child of Prince and Princess of Wales, born on the 6th, 1868.

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Forbid the injurious thought! and rather fear

Yon glittering worlds will quit their ancient sphere,

Earth's everlasting hills, and ocean's stream,

Dissolve in air, the fabric of a dream! Rev. James Joyce.

Mutual-Aid Association Reporter.

NEW HONORARY MEMBERS.

W. Naylor, Esq., Everton.
Mr. R. Fletcher, Retford.
Rev. J. Hearnshaw, Walsall.
Mr. S. Cox, Walsall.

H. K. Atkinson, Esq., Camberwell.
W. Avery, Esq. (Mayor), Barnstaple.

DERBY BRANCH.

ON Wednesday, April 20th, the Annual Tea and Public Meeting of this Branch was held at the Wesleyan Chapel, London Road, the chair being Occupied by the Rev. Henry Soper (Superintendent Minister), who, in a stirring address, urged upon the local brethren the duty of joining the Association, stating, "that while he regarded the action of the General Committee in accepting an old brother who lives in this town as very kind, he thought that the brethren should join while young, thus doing their utmost to provide against sickness and old age; and by taking an interest in the Association they would be all the more likely to secure its success." He also suggested that the brethren in the town should be visited, and the claims of the Association pressed upon them.

Addresses were given by the Rev. Dr. Megarry, Rev. J. Dinsley, Bros. Feltrup, Hanson, C. Dooley, and J. Harrison.

There were not many friends at tea, owing to the severely cold wind; but there was a better attendance at the evening meeting. The net proceeds were very small, and the Committee thought that the Local Treasurer should hold the amount to assist him in paying the Annuitants, &c.

Since the meeting, the suggestion of the Chairman has been taken up by the Committee of the Branch, and a deputation appointed to visit the brethren who are eligible for membership, and we hope good results will appear. JOHN WESTON.

ST. JUST.

DEAR SIR,-I have to inform you that a meeting on behalf of our Mutual-Aid Association was held in the Circuit Chapel here on Wednesday, May 4th, Messrs. Benson and Madder attending as a deputation. The chair was taken by Mr. R. Boyns, our Local Treasurer. The Rev. Robert Dillon, Superintendent Minister, was on the platform.

The attendance was not large, but the meeting was a very good one; a very good impression in favour of the Association having been made.

A collection amounting to £3 6s. 7d. was taken up at the close.

We had some difficulty in getting a place for the deputation to stay, but so favourable was the impression made that we should have none were they coming again.

One or two of the brethren who were present at the meeting think of joining.-I am, dear sir, Yours truly,

Mr. Geo. Sims.

THOS. WILLIAMS.

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND. March 8th, 1881.

MY DEAR BRO. SIMS,-The thought just occurs to me that by the time this comes to hand, all your preparations for the Annual Meeting will be completed. The bright June morning arrives; some are early and waiting with intense anxiety, while one straggler after another comes up in breathless haste. The poor old locomotive, labouring under too much pressure, almost explodes. Be wise, my brother! Take time by the forelock, and never come when the gates are closed and the train is gone. Query-Who has not?

Now allow me, dear brethren, in imagination to be present with you,

as I have often been in person. We are all seated as comfortably as circumstances will allow; the whistle gives a shrill scream. All right! The flag drops, and off we go, cheered with bright prospects of a glorious gathering in the world-wide renowned Sheffield.

Well, but the imaginative stranger is here. What warm grasps! what sparkling eyes! what interrogations! Tell us, brother, what you think of the sunny land, which is never blanched by the storms of rigorous winters. Only ten weeks' sojourn yet; my thoughts cannot be matured. So far all is good. It is difficult to harmonise midsummer with New Year's Day. The weather is all that can be desired; few showers, dull mornings, bright, warm days, and cool evenings. The mercury occasionally rises to 96 in the heat of the day, but is generally tempered with a cool breeze from the eastern ocean, or from the snow-clad mountains of the west. The golden grain is reaped, the harvest is past, and two million quarters of splendid wheat are now in transit, and plenty more to follow. I have spent some time with two Local Preachers in their harvest fields, and am astonished at the result of the threshing operations-from forty to sixty bushels per acre.

Now, what of the people? I have never met with anything but kindness in foreign lands; yet the kindness I have met with from the people here surpasses all my previous experiences. One gentleman quitted his house and left all things at our disposal for our comfort. Another sent us a splendid piece of bacon, and many have given us free, unforbidden access to their vegetable gardens. Horse and trap I have for the asking. What is there left for us to desire in the way of friendship?

What of the Local Preachers? Be sure we have a wide harvest field and few labourers. In two contiguous Circuits we have ten Local Preachers on the plan, but they need no MutualAid, except on the Lord's Day. They frequently drop in, sometimes late on the Saturday evening. Too busy during the week; had no time for preparation. Do help me this time.

I neither wish to rest nor rust, but labour on until the shadows of evening deepen into night, and the Master shall say unto His steward, "Call the labourer home and give him his hire."

I saw Bro. Jebson at the District Meeting, but had no opportunity to converse with him; and he is living at a considerable distance from us. Christchurch owes him a lasting debt of gratitude, and I think it ought to be expressed in a more substantial form. I will venture to say it is the best watered city in the world. Every house has a perpetual flow of clear, cold water. It was Jebson, a Local Preacher, who tapped the long hidden reservoir, and turned on the inexhaustible supply. No water company, no rate, no collecting clerks. Like the river from the Throne of Mercy, its free, without money or price.

Now, dear brethren, I must say good-bye; hoping and praying that you may have a glorious meeting at Sheffield. My imagination presents a glowing picture of the platform, the Chairman, and a host of well-known, tried friends of the Association around him. The devotional exercises over, then the Chairman's address, the Honorary Secretary's Report, the Financial Statement, &c. Then one brother after another with his thrilling eloquence moves the whole assembly, and justly merits the ringing cheers. Then the collection, which never failed to be a good one in Sheffield, and I believe never will while there is one needy brother on this side heaven's gates. And last of all, that fine glow of Christian brotherhood beaming on every countenance, while we clasp hands and say, Farewell, till we meet again.

I am, my dear Bro.,
Most truly yours,
W. BOWRON.

GENERAL COMMITTEE. MINUTES of Committee Meeting held in the School Room of Norfolk Street Chapel, Sheffield, on Saturday evening, June 18, 1881. Present: BroC. S. Madder (President) in the chair; the ex-President, Treasurer, General Secretary, and more than

one hundred members of Committee and representatives of the Association.

The meeting was opened by singing hymn 872, and prayer was offered by Bros. Parsons of Leicester and Perkins, of Northampton.

The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed.

The monthly abstract was read, showing total receipts for the year, £4,189 6s. 8d.; total disbursements, £3,542 3s. 2d. On the sick list, 112;. annuitants, 168; deaths, 44 members, 16 wives of members.

CASES FROM BRANCHES.

Brother J. H., of C., an annuitant since March, 1873, at 3s. per week, applied for an increase. He is 72 years of age, a local preacher 46 years, but for the last ten years has been unable to preach or do any work. He was a blacksmith. His wife is 66 years of age, and quite an invalid. Has seven children; but one only (a daughter in service) can render any help. He suffers from paralysis and rheumatism. Two sons who were in business failed, and are now setting sail for Australia. Resolved, That the brother have 6s. per week.

Brother J. H., of W., has been on the sick list since December, 1879, at 2s. 6d. per week; applies for superannuation. He is 60 years old; has been a local preacher 35 years; by trade a shoemaker, but cannot work, and has no income. He suffers from chronic debility. His wife is 55, and has employed herself as monthly nurse. They have five children, one of whom is at home suffering from diseased eyes. The grounds of application are the loss of all his goods and inability to work. Resolved, That he have 4s. per week.

Sister M. M., of N., the widow of a deceased annuitant, applied for superannuation. She is 81 years of age; has two children who cannot help, Resolved, That she have 2s. 6d. per week.

Brother Davis, of Norwich, read a letter respecting a brother, aged 78, who desired admission as a member. Resolved, That he be received on payment of ten guineas.

In answer to the request of the Liverpool Branch, Bros. Redman of

Keighley, and Cossens of Dereham, were appointed as a deputation to attend the proposed meeting on behalf of the Association during the forthcoming Wesleyan Conference.

The report prepared by Bro. A. R. Johnson was then read by him; and, with some slight alterations, was accepted by the Committee for presentation at the Aggregate Meeting.

The plan of Services for Sunday, June 19, was then considered, and the necessary alterations and substitutions effected.

The next meeting of Committee to be held at Bro. C. S. Madder's Aylesbury, on Wednesday, July 13. Brother White of Manchester closed the meeting with prayer.

DEATHS.

Jan. 3, 1881. Joseph Riley, Bakewell Branch, aged 65 years. He died as he had lived, “Trusting in Jesus." Claim £6.

Feb. 16, 1881. John Russell, Newcastle-on Tyne 2nd Branch, aged 41 years. No particulars. Claim £7.

Death

April 23, 1881. Josiah Bacon, Bakewell Branch, aged 33 years. was instantaneous, occasioned by a stone falling upon him while working in a mine. His last words to his wife on leaving home were, "The Lord's will be done." Claim £6.

May 12, 1881. Albert Button, Shepton Mallet Branch, aged 29 years. Our brother preached twice on the Sunday, and on the following Thursday was suddenly killed in a colliery. Claim £8.

May 14, 1881. Solomon Broughton, Wantage Branch, aged 70 years. His long affliction was borne with Christian fortitude and resignation. He departed in peace. Claim £6.

May 19, 1881. Joseph Pearson, Lincoln Branch, aged 66 years. His death was very sudden, but he was a good man, and lived in readiness for his departure. He had been an annuitant 18 weeks, and received £4 10s. Claim £2.

May 25, 1881. Walter Bartle, Tavistock Branch, aged 72 years. His end was peace. He had been an annuitant 127 weeks, and received £32 58. Claim £4.

May 27, 1881. Anne Kinsey, Congleton Branch, aged 47 years. Her

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