young people than tea. But one morning I liked my breakfast a great deal better than common, and I asked what the maid had done to my milk to make it so much better: she said, that, as the milk was scarce that day, she had made me some "porridge." This, instead of being all milk, was a mixture of milk and water, thickened with oatmeal, and a little salt added. I then begged that I might not any longer have "boiled milk” to breakfast, but always "milk porridge." But then, as lads always like to be where they should not be, I was determined to go into the kitchen to see how this porridge was made, and thus I learned how to make it myself; so that, though now I have numbers of receipts sent to me by my correspondents to teach me how to make porridge, I do not intend to make any different from that which I used when I was a lad. We took some oatmeal, and mixed it with cold water, by a little at a time, so that there might be no lumps, and we took about half as much water as the mess was to consist of. Then we boiled this, stirring it up at the same time, then added as much milk as there was water; and when this boiled again it was ready for use, and was poured into basons, with a little bread cut into small pieces. There may be more or less milk, according to people's taste, or means of getting it; and even where milk cannot be had at all, a good nourishing hot breakfast may be got from the porridge and a little bread.

The Philanthropic Society in St. George's Fields, London, have printed the following receipts for distribution, but there does not seem to be any great difference from our own way; but the adding beer with a little sugar would be likely to make as good an article as the mulled ale which travellers on a cold day are fond of ordering at an inn. This might be a good help to a labouring man on a winter's day. It would be much better for the children to have none of the beer; it will do them no good, and they will learn to drink beer too soon, without any teaching from their parents.

SCOTCH ROUND OATMEAL.

v.

No. 1. Porridge.-About a quart of boiling water to

1837.] EXTRACTS FROM PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS, &c. 35 two or three table spoonsful of meal, stirred in smoothly, and kept boiling for about five minutes. Eat it with milk or beer.

No. 2. One quart of boiling water-have ready four large spoonsful of oatmeal, gradually wetted with milk till it has taken up a quart; stir it briskly into the boiling water, and let it boil up again till it is quite thickened, stirring it all the time. Sweeten with coarse sugar or treacle; some prefer salt. If milk is scarce, wet the meal with one pint of water instead of the milk, and then stir in one pint of cold milk when it is done.

Suet dumplings may be made with one-third part flour, and two-thirds oatmeal-more oatmeal would not hold together.

The oatmeal makes almost any dish nourishing, so that a little onion may be given for flavour, or any thing that a person fancies. The Scotch people are very fond of a little of the liquor that meat is boiled in, thickened with oatmeal.

EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS, &c. POTATOES.-A writer in the Mark Lane Express remarks, "that failure in the potato crop may be remedied by sowing the seed." We have no right to doubt his veracity, as he says "he tried it last year, and the produce was astonishing." If this be a fact, surely the potato-apples would be worth gathering.-Sent by Y.

In a field on Mendip, near Oakhill, is a fine crop of potatoes, surpassing in quality and size any seen in that neighbourhood, the produce not of seed potatoes, but of the sprouts which the country people of Somerset call chisms. These were taken off the potatoes, before sending them to market, and planted, and the result proves that the poor man need not diminish his stock of food, but may use all his potatoes, and yet have abundance of seed. -Bath Journal.

BEER SHOPS.—The effects of these demoralizing establishments have been most prominently displayed at the late York Assize: at least onethird of the heinous offences tried were committed either in beer-shops, or by persons who have been in the habit of frequenting them.

At the late Cheshire County Assize, Mr. Justice Coleridge announced that he should allow no prosecutors their expenses, who had offences committed upon them when they were drunk.

It is affirmed, on medical authority, that a confirmed London beer-drinker can hardly scratch his finger without risk of his life, his body being a prepared gangrene. When a London drayman, a class of men who are in general apparently models of health, strength, and soundness, receives a serious injury, Sir Astley Cooper says that it is always necessary to amputate, if you would give the patient the most distant chance of life.

1 To "amputate," means to "cut off the limb."

The Allotment System continues to prosper in the parish of Hinton Charterhouse. The 20 acres of land let to 60 tenants, at the rent usually paid by farmers, have been well cultivated, and greatly improved, since the land was appropriated to this purpose by Mrs. Symonds and Miss Humphreys, of Hinton Abbey, the proprietors. Wednesday was the day appointed for the payment of the half-year's rent; Harold Brooke, esq. attended for the purpose, and the rent was most punctually paid up by all the tenants, without exception. Plentiful refreshments were provided, and there appeared to be the most cordial good-will subsisting between the owners and the occupiers of the land, and the most encouraging prospects in the other.-Salisbury Herald.

A farmer of Grantham has had five valuable pigs poisoned by eating a quantity of laurel and box which had been thrown upon a dunghill.

CAUTION. A child met its death, in the vicinity of Sheffield, a few days since, by a large worsted needle, accidentally detached from the clothes of its nurse, having penetrated its body in the region of the heart, and caused inflammation of that organ.

An inquest was taken by Mr. Todd, at the parish of St. Mary Bourne, on the body of a child, named Harvey Page, about 15 months old, who was scalded to death by a cup of hot tea, which he pulled off a table. Verdict, "Accidental death."

COAL.-The coal trade is supposed to maintain nearly 15,000 mariners, and to employ about 2,000 coal-heavers, who are allowed a fixed sum on clearing each ship according to her tonnage. These are supposed to be the hardest-working men in the kingdom. They often earn 6s., 7s., or 8s. a day, of which generally one-half is spent in porter. Philips calculates that 28,000,000 tons of coal are raised in Great Britain annually, but that enough yet remains for the consumption of one thousand years.

SHOCKING DEATH.-On the evening of last Sunday se'nnight, at a beer shop near Newbury, a man named James Wren undertook to swallow four pints of strong beer in four draughts, in four minutes: he failed in drinking the last pint, and was soon after found dead in a barn, to which he had been conveyed by his companions in this instance of Sabbath-breaking and drunken brutality.-Country Paper.

A correspondent of a provincial paper, in reference to incendiary fires, where horses are likely to be burnt, and through fright become intractable, states that the lives of these valuable animals may be saved by throwing a wet blanket over the head of each, so as to prevent its seeing the flames, or smelling the smoke, and that thus it may be led out of the stable.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received the communications of Frances; I. C. A.; Y.; D.I.E.; M. H. N.; a Village Schoolmaster; and some anonymous articles; also, several papers on Cottage Allotments, and on Gardening.

We are much obliged to D. I. E. for pointing out the error in page 375 of our Nov. number, where the hymns are said to be from Bishop Hall's selection. We are well acquainted with Mr. Hall's selection of Psalms and Hymns lately published; and can scarcely account for our overlooking the error of the press which attributed them to Bishop Hall.

Mr. Hancock, of Kilburn, requests us to say, that the "Prayer for this Church and Kingdom" in our last number, sent by F. C., was erroneously marked with his name. It is from the Form of Prayer for the General Fast of 1832; and the mistake arose from its being appended to a Fast Sermon of Mr. Hancock, published at the time.

ST. Matthias is not expressly named in Scripture till he was chosen to fill the vacancy among the Apostles, caused by the apostasy of Judas; but he is supposed to have been one of the seventy disciples, and it is certain that, from the time of our Lord's baptism by John, till his ascension into heaven, Matthias was his constant attendant, and a witness of most of the remarkable events of his life; consequently he was well qualified to share in the labours and preaching of the other Apostles, and proclaim to the world the wonderful facts which had taken place during the period of his blessed Master's sojourn here on earth. Before proceeding in the life of this Apostle, it would not be amiss to pause for a moment, and reflect on the conduct, and fate of the unhappy Judas, whose wickedness and

dreadful death caused the vacancy which Matthias was destined to fill up. The character of this unfaithful servant of our Lord presents an awful warning to all Christians, and demands our utmost attention and consideration. He was one of those twelve Jews whom Jesus Christ selected as his immediate attendants, and he without hesitation obeyed the Divine call, though no worldly benefit could arise from it; for he was joining a poor and despised teacher, who had not where to lay his head. We conclude, from this circumstance, that he was not destitute of all good feelings; that covetous disposition which was his besetting sin, and which in course of time effected his downfall, had not then obtained entire possession over him; and, as he might desire, though perhaps faintly, to amend his ways, God graciously condescended to try whether his wishes were earnest, and, by appointing him to be an Apostle, gave him every opportunity, and encouragement. But unless the heart is sincere, and earnestly anxious for what is good, the greatest advantages avail but little. Judas had the inexpressible benefit of constant communication with our Saviour, he heard his discourses, he witnessed his miracles, he enjoyed all the gifts and privileges, with which the other Apostles were endowed, and to the generality of mankind he might appear like one of the faithful; but Jesus, who reads all hearts, saw what was lurking in his; "He knew who should betray him, and therefore said he, ye are not all clean." If Judas then, a personal follower of our Lord, could not resist the temptations of an evil disposition, how plainly this points out to us the necessity of guarding most heedfully against the power of any ruling passion, and the folly of trusting to our own strength. "Let him who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." In the pride of his heart, Judas imagined he could stand firm against the sin which did so easily beset him; but, behold, he fell! he depended on his own power, and he fell! Had he prayed for help to resist the tempter, the Divine assistance, we may be sure, would not have been refused; but, instead of this, he yielded to corrupt inclinations, and became still more firmly bound in the bonds of Satan. We are told by St. John, how, in a covetous, and