"wrath, anger, and displeasure upon the people, and prayed of Him to send evil angels among them. Only when the people were humbled and cowed would he intercede for them, only when they had been persuaded by the terrors of the Lord would he consent to ask God to hold his hand.

duced the Pharaoh who at that time reigned over Egypt to invite the Israelites to settle in that country. He knew what Joseph had done towards re-organising the kingdom, and he doubtless thought that a whole nation of such men would be a splendid leaven to mix with the elements of his own state. Besides, the Israelites were children of the desert, accustomed A government like that of Moses was new to the people. to rough it, and likely to shame the Egyptians out of some of They had seen priestly government, or rather the priestly the effeminacy into which they had fallen. They would also, ascendancy in the government, in Egypt, but there the jealousy established on the confines of the kingdom desertwards, act as of statesmen and the need for secular aids had prevented the a shield between the Egyptians and those marauding dwellers complete domination of the priesthood. But a pure priesthood, in the desert who afterwards overthrew the native rule in reflecting the image of the heavenly King, was more than they Egypt. Thus we find that, by the space of about 215 years, could tolerate, if not more than they could understand. They the Israelites, invited by the Pharaoh who was Joseph's friend, could not bear the light which as a pillar of fire accompanied abode in the land of Egypt, and suffered all and more than the them, they resented the prying gaze of an eye which was unable tyranny imposed upon the Egyptians by those Hyksos, or to look on iniquity. Moses was the human representative of shepherd-kings, who looked upon the Israelites as traitors to that light, of that eye; the incarnate expression of that Lawthe original nomadic mode of life. The history of their ad- giver whose laws it was so impossible for poor human nature to versity is more familiar to us than that of their prosperity, and obey; and therefore the rebellions against him and his authowe know comparatively little of what they did, or of what rity were not many only but desperate, exhibiting a complete influence they exercised in the land of their adoption. Probably abandon of all the higher and better instincts, such as might be their influence was less beneficial than the Pharaoh, who judged naturally expected of those who felt they could not attain to the of them by what Joseph was, hoped it would be. They were in brilliancy of the light at the same time that they could not more senses than one "a peculiar people," living distinct from the escape from it. The Jews seem to have been utterly unaware of rest of mankind, not likely to weld themselves in with the mass the representative part they were destined to play in the history of the people, and not calculated, therefore, to perform the part of the world, and to have looked only to present ease or adof the leaven which Pharaoh had hoped for. But they were treated vantage in framing their rules of conduct. They walked by with a wise liberality and a uniform kindness till there arose a sight and not at all by faith, and they stumbled at every turn. Pharaoh "that knew not Joseph," till the shepherd-kings had For a while they bore with the theocracy, especially when, come in from the desert and mingled Egyptian and Israelite in as under Joshua, it was associated with the warrior element in a common ruin. The story of their wrongs, and of the mar- their leader; for a term, after their advent into the promised vellous circumstances under which they were delivered from the land, they consented to remain under the guidance of judges, most galling bondage, is written in the books of Moses. There, who were the avowed lieutenants of the heavenly King himself, too, will be found the history of their wanderings for forty the self-denying "servants of the servants of God." But the years in the wilderness. Moses, committed to positive action temptations to which the people subjected themselves, and before in behalf of his people by the homicide of the Egyptian whom which they fell, were too strong to be counteracted by the severe he slew for insulting a Hebrew, was the man under whose law of unswerving right; the sins and follies of the people inguidance the Israelites were brought out of the land with a fected the judicial office also, till at length it became questionmighty hand and a stretched-out arm. The difficulties he able whether aught was gained, whether something was not encountered in getting permission to go, the miracles that had rather lost, by the continuance of the régime which had been to be wrought-the last with so much dreadful destruction to tried and found wanting. The scandal presented by some life-before the permission was accorded, the pursuit by the bearers of the judicial office, both as regards their life and King of Egypt, the overthrow of his army in the Red Sea, the doctrine, was such that no good, humanly speaking, could entry of the Israelites into the desert beyond, and their history possibly accrue from the continuance of the office; experience during the forty years before they entered the promised land, had proved that the pure priestly government, even the visible we know from the hand of Moses himself, or of one who was his presence of God between the cherubim, would not suffice to keep companion and amanuensis. By the light of that history it is the people in the straight but narrow path; it was better, therenot difficult to see that the Israelites were just exactly the fore, to withdraw the presence which overbore the people, and people not to be contented with the theocratic government which could not adequately be represented by ordinary men, and which Moses established over them. Though educated enough to substitute for it a system of government, lower in kind and to comprehend the folly of idol worship, and to know that dis- degree, which yet might be under guidance, and confess the union in the state meant political weakness, they, nevertheless, Lord Jehovah as supreme. Thus it happened that Saul was under circumstances which made it extreme sin in them, again made king over Israel, and thus it happened that Samuel, preand again committed idolatry, and conspired also to overturn serving the character but not the local power, of his predecessors, the authority of him under whose sole leadership alone they exercised a sort of irresponsible control over him, even announwere safe. In the same spirit as that of the insulting inquiry, cing to him at the end how that the Lord repented he had "Who made thee a ruler over us?" the Israelites conspired made him king. Successors of Samuel there were in the long against the authority of Moses, who, rigorous as he neces- line of illustrious prophets, of some of whom mention is made sarily was, in the presence of facts that rendered it impera- so frequently in the Old Testament, men who fully accepted tive there should be "a dictator whom all men should obey," the new position which spiritual influences were to occupy in exercised his authority with a wonderful amount of self-denial, and with a constant feeling of intense responsibility to the visible majesty of Jehovah, who was the Lord and King of the people. If we sometimes pause as we read the narrative of Moses' acts, and note that in some cases the punishment meted out by him to rebels appears to be in excess of the offence, we should remember that under circumstances like those which surrounded him cruelty is often merciful, and that he resented not any injury to himself, though he was insulted, maligned, and provoked every day of his life, but high treason to Him whose steward and servant he was. When he himself, or when Aaron was in question, he could afford to let the slanderer speak, to brook the insulting word and gesture, and to pass by in contempt the murmurings of the discontented. But when the words and deeds of rebellion were directed towards the Almighty, the zeal of God's servant knew no bounds; he called down the lightning from heaven upon the offenders, and bade the earth open and swallow them up; the quality of mercy was dried up in him; he invoked God's

relation to man, who ceased to terrify by governmental acts, and looked to uncarnal weapons as best befitting the servants of Him, who not being of this world was yet to come into it. Successors they had and ever have had, both before and after the advent of the Redeemer whose witnesses they were, and who came to restore once again in his own person the functions of the priest and king. To preserve pure and undefiled the word of God to man, to warn, to exhort, to threaten, as fathers caring for their own children-this became the function of the prophets as representatives of the Lord Almighty. The duty of the kings whom God gave the people was to lead them by means which they could understand to that goal to which prophets and judges, acting directly, had pointed in vain, and to show them, by precept and example, the sort of life which the chosen people should lead to entitle them to the actual sovereignty of the Messiah. How far the prophets succeeded in accomplishing this task, and how much the kings fell short of their duty, and gave occasion again for the direct interference of the Almighty, will form the subject of another paper.

LESSONS IN SPANISH.-I.
ORTHOGRAPHY AND PRONUNCIATION.

THE SPANISH ALPHABET.

THE Spanish Alphabet contains twenty-eight characters or letters: a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, z, y, z.

Of these letters, a, e, i, o, u are always vowels; y is also a Towel when it begins or ends a syllable or word, or when it stands alone: the other letters are consonants. The consonants are divided into semi-vowels and mutes; the semi-vowels being ƒ, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, r, s, x; and the mutes, b, c, ch, d, g, j, k, p, q, t, v, z.

SOUND OF THE SIMPLE VOWELS.

the upper teeth are not pressed so strongly to the lower lip in pronouncing this letter in Spanish.

X has the sound of the English x in the word tax; as, exito, extremo, exacto; pronounced aiks-eé-to, aiks-tray'-mo, aiksac-to.

X, in Spanish, had formerly two very different sounds: the one the same as above given; the other a guttural sound, the same exactly as the Spanish j. To distinguish these sounds, the vowel following the x, when not guttural, had a circumflex accent over it; as, exâcto, exito. The guttural sound of the x is not at present used, or at least very seldom, in Spanish, as the letters j (before any vowel) and g (before e and i) have the same sound, and are now employed instead of the guttural x. Thus the words México, Méjico, or Mégico, would, in Spanish, all

A, in Spanish, has invariably the sound of a in the English be pronounced alike; though Méjico is the common spelling. word far.

SOUND OF THE CONSONANTS.

B, F, K, L, M, N, P sound as in English.

C before a, o, or u, or before a consonant, sounds like c in the English word cart; as, carne, poco, cuna, creo; pronounced kar-ney, pó-ko, koó-nah, kray'-o.

C before e or i sounds like th in the English word think; as, cecina, cima; pronounced thay-the-nah, thee-mah.

CH is considered as one letter in Spanish, and is always sounded like ch in the English word church; as, noche, chapa; pronounced nó-chay, chah'-pah.

D sounds as in English, except at the end of words; then it has a sound nearly like th in the English word hath; as Madrid, pronounced Madreeth.

G before a, o, u, or a consonant, sounds hard, as in the English words gate, go; as, goce, greba, gula; pronounced 36-thay, gray'-bah, goo'-lah.

It is, of course, no longer necessary to put a circumflex accent over the vowel following the x, when the letter has the English sound of ks, as it now has nearly always in recent Spanish writings.

Y, when a consonant, has the same sound in Spanish that it has in English in such words as young, year.

Y, when it stands alone, used as a copulative (meaning and), is pronounced like ee in see.

Z has always the sound of th in the English word think; as, zuzo; pronounced thoo-tho.

Remark. There will be no difficulty on the part of the learner, who is his own instructor, in acquiring the sounds of the Spanish vowels and consonants, except the guttural sound of the j (which is also the sound of g before e or i); and this sound can be learnt from any German, by hearing him pronounce ch in the words nacht and nicht; from an Irishman, by noticing the sound he gives ch in the word oich, from a Scotchman in the word loch, or from a Welshman in the words bach, chwi.

DIFFERENT METHODS OF SPELLING.

By the best Spanish writers i is used instead of y when this last letter is a vowel, and not at the end of a word. Thus GU, in the syllables gue and gui, unless there be a diæresis-reyno, reyna, arraygar, are now spelt reino, reina, arraigar. called crema ()—over the u, is always sounded like the simple g hard, as in the English words guest, guilt; as, gueta, guita; pronounced gay'-tah, geé-tah. When the diæresis is over the u it is not mute, but has its proper sound; as, agüelo; pronounced ah-goo-ail'-o, or ah-gway'-lo.

Q is now used by the best writers only in the syllables que and qui; as, queja, quince. The syllables qua, qüe, qüi, and quo, are spelt with c. Thus quando, qüesto, quota, are now spelled cuando, cuesto, cuota.

X is, by many of the best writers, never used before a consoG before e or i has in all cases the guttural sound of the nant, its place being supplied by the letter s. Thus extenso, Spanish j.

H is always a silent letter; as, hace, higo; pronounced ah'-thay, ee-go.

experto, are now often found spelt estenso, esperto.

In addition to the above remarks, it is proper to state that, by the best writers, z is never employed before e or i, its place J has always a guttural sound, somewhat like the English h in being supplied with c; thus cero and cinco, for zero and zinco. alcohol, strongly aspirated. It is the guttural sound of the chX, too, is, by some writers, always changed into cs, when it in the German words nacht and nicht, and of the ch in the Scotch words loch, cloch, and can therefore be learnt from any German or Scotchman. The learner must bear in mind that the sound of the Spanish g before e or i is the same guttural sound.

K is not used in Spanish, being found only in foreign words, when it is sounded like the same letter in English.

LL sounds like li in pavilion, or lli in million; as, silla, lloro; pronounced seel'-yah, lyó-ro.

N sounds like ni in the English words onion, pinion; as, nona, ñoño; pronounced non'-yah, nyon'-yo.

Q, which is always immediately followed by u, is sounded as in English; as, quota; pronounced kwo'tah.

QU, in the syllables que and qui, is sounded like k (that is, the silent); as, que, quiso; pronounced kay, keé-so; but if a dieresis is over the u, it has its proper Spanish sound; as, questa; pronounced koo-ais'-tah or kwais'-tah.

E is sometimes sounded smooth, and sometimes rough or trilling. The rough sound is heard in Spanish when r begins a word, when doubled, and when it comes after 1, n, or s; as, rabo, carro, alrota; pronounced r-rah'-bo, kar-r'-ro, al-r-ro'-tah. In every other position it has the smooth sound.

S is always sounded as in the English words soon, this; as, sedes; pronounced say'-dace.

T has nearly the same sound as in English. The only difference is, that in Spanish t has a somewhat softer sound than in English.

V is pronounced as in English, with the sole exception that

comes before a vowel; thus secso, for sexo. The guttural sound of x, as has been already mentioned, is now seldom used; g or j being substituted for it.

Remark. It is necessary to remember that the above variations in spelling produce no variations in pronunciation, except only when x before a consonant is changed into s, in which case s has its own regular sound; thus estenso is pronounced aisten'-so.

A very little attention to the above directions will remove every difficulty which might otherwise occur in reading Spanish authors who do not adopt the same method of spelling. Thus, if the learner meet with such words as celo, jéneros, rejistro, cuando, jabon, esceso, ecsactor, reina, buitre, etc., and cannot find them in his dictionary, he must look for them under the other forms: zelo, géneros, registro, quando, xabon, exceso, exactor, reyna, buytre.

SOUND OF DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS.

The diphthongs and triphthongs in Spanish never contain any vowel sound different from those we have already given. When two or three vowels come together, they may be pronounced by a single emission of the voice; but each vowel in Spanish continues to retain always its own particular sound, though the sounds glide into each other by being pronounced in the time of a single vowel. Two vowels are never mingled into one and made to represent a sound foreign to each of them, as ou in the English word fought; or a sound in which only one is heard, as oa in boat. The diphthong ua, in the English word suavity,

retains the sounds of both vowels, being pronounced as if written sooa-vi-ty. The learner can judge from this example what is meant by each vowel retaining its own particular sound in diph-cion. thongs and triphthongs, though such a combination forms, of course, but one syllable. Thus, in the Spanish word causa, the letters cau compose but one syllable, and the diphthong au is pronounced like a in bar and u in rude (the regular Spanish sounds of a and u); and being uttered quickly, and by a single impulse of the voice, the sound of au is similar to that of ow in the English word how, though not exactly the

The diaresis" is used over the u in the syllables gue, gui, que and qui, when the u is to be sounded, as agüero; and also over the last of two vowels which usually form a diphthong, to indicate that they are to be divided into two syllables; as, heroicidad, pronounced ai-ro-ee-thee-dáth.

The tilde is used over the n when this letter has the sound of ni in onion; as, daño.

The acute accent is placed over vowels, not to alter their sound, but to indicate the syllable on which the stress of voice is laid in pronouncing certain words; as, órden.

A

figures the bases, in the order in which the striker must ran to them. The bases are from fifteen to twenty yards apart. Which party shall first go in to strike is decided by tossing or otherwise, as at cricket. The captain of the "out" side usually takes the ball, and he is then known as the "feeder." He takes his station about five or six yards in front of the striker, whose post is at "home." His party station themselves about the field, so as to catch the ball or recover it as speedily as possible when struck. It is the feeder's business to deliver the ball to the striker, which he must do in such a manner that the The circumflex accent was formerly used over a vowel latter has a fair chance of hitting it. The proper way is to following, when this letter had not its guttural sound; as, pitch the ball with a moderate degree of quickness in the sero; and over a vowel following ch, when the latter was pro-direction of the stick, so that it describes, in its passage through nounced as k; as, chilo. But the alterations in orthography no the air from the feeder to the striker, any segment of a circle. longer require this mark. The striker may refuse to hit at any ball that is delivered to him, and is entitled to request that the delivery may be either slower, faster, higher, or lower than that with which the feeder may set out. But if he attempts to strike any ball offered to him, that ball is considered accepted, and he is out if he misses it. each of the others, until he has completed the circle by returnIf he hits it, he runs to the first base, and on to ing home, and is then once more at liberty to take his turn as a striker. But if, in running from base to base, he is hit by the ball thrown at him by one of the opposite side, he is out; and he is also out if the ball is caught, or if it is struck behind the home. So long as a player chooses to stand at either base, he is not liable to be put out by a hit from the ball; but as soon as he commences to leave the base, his opponents may throw at him.

OUR HOLIDAY.
MINOR BALL GAMES.

MANY ball-games besides cricket and football are familiar in
the recreation-ground, and our enumeration of good holiday
pastimes would not be complete without mention of some of

these. First on the list comes

ROUNDER.

This is a lively game which can boast far greater antiquity than cricket, and, in fact, contains its germ. Cricket dates from the last century only; but a stick and a ball-which are the only implements necessary in playing the game of rounder -were familiar articles long before bats, stumps, and bails The game continues until all the players but one of the "in" were invented. In manuscripts of the thirteenth and four-side have been put out in one or other of these ways. The last teenth centuries, preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, player then has the privilege of "taking the rounder." In this may be seen illustrations of a ball-game closely resembling he is usually allowed two "offers" at the ball-that is, if he rounder in its principal features, and some of these were misses it once he may make a second attempt. If he hits it, engraved by Strutt in his antiquarian account of our popular and can complete the circle of bases before either of the oppopastimes. site party can put him out, either by catching, by throwing at him, or by pitching the ball into the home, the whole of his party come in again, and the game proceeds as before.

The fact that no other articles are required for the game than the two just mentioned, is its recommendation to a large number of youths to whom the paraphernalia of cricket are not always accessible. Any party of young men, from eight to twenty in number, can join in the game, and will find it brisk and stirring enough. They are divided into two sides, equal in number; or, if there be an "odd man," one party may, by agreement, take the least experienced or skilful player as an addition to its side. The members of each side are chosen at the outset by the two captains, who alternately select a player from the group before them, until all are enlisted.

If all the players have been put out but two, one may relinquish his right to strike, so that the other may take the rounder. This is usually done in order that the most skilful of the two remaining in may have a chance of restoring his comrades to the game.

It sometimes occurs, when the ball has been hit to short distances only, that two or more bases are occupied simul. taneously by the strikers. Thus, one player may be at the first base, another at the second, and so on. In this case, if there should be only one player remaining in at the home, and he should miss the ball, the feeder or any other of his party may run and pick it up, and if he can drop it into the home before the player at the nearest base returns, the whole of the party is out. Or, if only one of the party is at the home and two or

The ball used for the game should be not more than twothirds of the size of a cricket-ball, or about six inches in circumference. The best ball is one that will "fly" well, or, in other words, that may be driven to a good distance by a moderate stroke. The body is usually composed of cork or india-rubber, with worsted bound tightly over it, and then coated with sheep-three others stand at the bases, the latter are allowed to give akin, very strongly sewn. Balls composed entirely of indiarubber are occasionally used, but these are less suited to the purpose, as they rebound too much after reaching the ground, and are more easily lost sight of when they roll.

Any round stick about fifteen inches long, and of such a thickness as to be readily grasped by the hand, may be used for the game. Rounder-sticks are sometimes made with handles smaller than the rest of the length, but this is immaterial.

Before commencing the play, the captains fix upon a spot in the field which is called "home," and in front of this they mark out three or four "bases," or points to which the player is to run when he has struck the ball. The relative positions

up their chance of returning, so that the rounder may be taken for the general benefit.

No score is taken of the game. The object of each party is simply to remain in as strikers for as long a time as possible. A similar but more simple game, adapted to three or four players only, is

FEEDER.

In this the feeder has himself to do all the work of delivering the ball and of running after it, and the others strike in turn. Bases are marked out as at rounder, but never more than three. The first man who misses, or is hit by the ball as he passes from base to base, takes the feeder's place. The other details of the game are the same as in that just described, with the exception that there is no general release of the "in" party by a successful rounder, each man playing on his own account.

LESSONS IN GEOLOGY.-XVI. DEVONIAN OR OLD RED SANDSTONE SYSTEM. Or all the geological systems, none sounds so familiarly to the ear as "The Old Red Sandstone," for this was the title of a work by the lamented Hugh Miller, which, at the time of its publication, attracted great attention. Miller carefully studied for years the rocks in which he quarried, and although they are

The "Old Red" in the north of Scotland differs in many of its On the Continent the "old red" sandstone type is not found, characters from that south of the Grampians. Miller supposed but in the Eifel, and elsewhere, rocks appear of the same nature, that it was the bottom of the "old red group," because at and containing the same fossils as the Devonian type. In Cromarty he found the sandstone beds reclining on beds more America there is an immense tract of country-the whole state or less crystalline, which he considered were the floor of the of New York-occupied by rocks of this age. Here they lie system. This, however, further search has proved is not the almost horizontal and undisturbed, and they again appear on case, for in 1861 remains of the pterygotus were found many the south of the estuary of the St. Lawrence. hundred feet below this North Scotland "old red," which of course proves that it was a later deposit than that south of the Grampians, of which the pterygotus is characteristic.

The Lower Devonian consists of soft slates, mixed with sandstones, which are found near Lynmouth, and the celebrated valley of rocks" exhibits this group. The trilobites, lingerThe first member of the group is found at Dura Den, nearing beyond the Silurian era, are found in this strata, together Cupar, in Fife, where it immediately underlies the coal. Fish with corals, orthis, and spirifers. abound in it, such as Holoptychius, Pterichthys, Glyptopomus, etc.