George, which went down with brave Admiral Kempenfeldt, and was recovered from the wreck in 1834, having been under water fifty-two years. There was also in this room a curious Maltese cannon, measuring seventeen feet in length; two brass mortars, of immense weight, taken at Cherbourg, in 1758, by Admiral Howe; a magnificent looking forty-two pounder, of the finest brass, sixteen feet long, which was brought from Java in 1811,-it bore an inscription in the Persian language, which was thus translated by the Earl of Munster—' the work of Sultan Ranafa Achmet Medigem-ed-Deen, of the county of Palembang the sacred, on which be peace1182 of the Hegira,' (1769); and a curious wooden gun, appropriately named Policy,-it was one of those used at the seige of Boulogne in 1544, by the Duke of Suffolk, who being destitute of cannon, fabricated a number of wooden ones, to deceive the governor into the belief that the English army was fully prepared with artillery, for the prosecution of the siege, the stratagem was successful, and Boulogne was given up to the English. The grand staircase was considered one of the finest in Europe. It formed in effect one magnificent trophy of English bravery and skill, in almost every part of the world, embracing an endless variety of weapons and arms, both ancient and modern; these were all destroyed by the late fire, with the exception of some pieces of cannon from Waterloo.

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In the small-arms armoury were contained 150,000 stand of arms, kept ready for immediate service, arranged

in every variety of ornamental devices; the walls, pillars, cornice, and ceiling, were decorated with pistols, cuirasses, halberds, carbines, bayonets, &c. The columns were twenty-two feet high, and were formed chiefly with pikes, of the reign of Charles II. Around them were pistols, twining upwards in a serpentine direction. Upon the ceiling was a large carved and gilded ornament, decorated in a similar manner. The cornice was composed of drums, breastplate of old armour, and pistols, arranged in a most interesting and beautiful manner.

There was likewise in this room one article of much interest, and which was fortunately saved from the general destruction. This was a Maltese gun, which was taken by Napoleon at Malta in 1798, and by him sent to the French Directory, in the frigate La Sensible. The latter was captured on its way by Captain Foote, of the Sea-horse frigate, with eight banners, which recently hung over it in the armoury. This beautiful piece is of mixed metal, resembling gold, and bears a representation in bass-relief of the head of a grand master of Malta, supported by two genii; it is also richly decorated all over with eagles, and other ornamental figures. The carriage of wood has a very striking appearance, having carved figures of two furies, one arm of each entwined together and grasping a snake, and the other a blazing torch; the nave of the wheel represents the sun, the spokes his rays: this curious piece of workmanship bears the date of 1773.

THE EDITOR.

The Two Paths.

A GERMAN PARABLE.

An instructor of a small village in the country of the Rhine, stood one day in his school, and taught; and the sons and daughters of the village sat round and listened gladly. For his instructions were forcible and kind. And he spoke of a good and bad conscience, and of the still, small voice of the heart.

When he had ended, he said to his scholars, Which of you can make a simile for me? And a boy arose and said, I can easily relate a simile, but I do not know whether it will be correct. Express your idea! answered the teacher; and the boy commenced:~"I compare the peace of a good and the restlessness of a bad conscience with two paths which I once travelled. When the soldiers of the enemy passed through our village, they forced away my dear father, and took our horse. As our father did not return, our mother and all of us wept and lamented, and they sent me to the city after him. I went, and it was not until late at night that I returned, the same way, with a sorrowful heart; for I had not found my father.

It was a dark night in autumn. The wind roared and howled in the oak and fir trees, and amongst the rocks. The night ravens and the owls screeched. And in my soul was the belief that we had lost our father, and I

thought of the lamentation of our mother on my returning home alone. I thought within myself, the heart of that man may well be agitated thus who lives with an evil conscience."

Children, said the teacher, would you like to wander in such a dark night, in a fruitless search after a father, and hear nothing but the voice of the storm and the cries of beasts of prey? O no! exclaimed the children altogether, and shuddered.

father was preparing for And it was also late in But it was in the month

The boy resumed his narrative and said, "At another time I went the same way with my sister, and we had purchased everything that was beautiful in the city for a private festival, which our our mother, for the next day. the evening when we returned. of March, the heavens were clear and lovely, but above all it was calm and still as in a chamber, so that we could hear the singing and purling of the small stream that ran along the path, and the song of the nightingale in the neighbouring grove; and we walked together hand in hand, and were so delighted that we could scarcely speak. Our kind father at length approached us. Then I thought again within myself, such feelings must dwell in the soul of the man, who has performed many good actions."

This was the narrative of the boy. And the instructor looked upon his children smiling. But the children said with one accord: Yes! we will be good men too!

P.

The Whale is the largest of all animals inhabiting the polar seas; indeed, so great is its magnitude, that it has been called the 'Giant of the Sea." It has been most generally and most successfully killed and taken in Greenland and Davis Straits, to which places, every year, a number of ships, from different parts of England and the Continent, would sail for that purpose. But latterly, the whales, either from becoming more shy or more afraid of their pursuers, or from seeking other places of refuge, unknown or inaccessible to the fishermen, very few, in comparison with former years, have been caught.