The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

RULE, BRITANNIA! I (ADAPTED TO THE DAY.) When Britain first, at Heaven s command, Arose to quench the pride of Rome, This was the watchword of the land, Resounding from each freeman s home- Rise, Britannia! Britannia, rout these ktiayes,- Britons never shall be slaves The nations not so blest as thou, In I'apal darkness blindly grope But never shall thy starry brow Be bliw'ci to idols or the Pt)pe Rise, Dritannia! Britannia, rout these knaes,- Britons never shall be slaves Against our weal though traitors try To aim their foul but feeble stroke They'll find the Lion standing by To guard the glorious British oak! Rise, Britannia Britannia, rout these knaves,— Britons never shall be slaves

CLOSE OE YEAR. I (From Historic Fancies, by Agnes Strickland. J Hours that were wasted in pleasure or grief, Howe'er ye were checkered, your sojourn was brief; Ye haye glided away in your rapid career, And have brought us again to the close of the year. Ye are faded and gone, like the flowers of the spring, Or the glories which beam on bright summer days fling, Cr the leaves that were scattered by autumn's rude gale, Or the snow-wreaths that melt as they sink in the vale. Ye are blent with the shadows of ages gone by, That veiled in the mist of obscurity lie And have fleeted like clouds that at sunset were seen, Yet left not a traee that they had ever been. The days that are gone are like dreams of the past, And the hours of the future shall vanish as fast, Till they silently lead to that moment when life Zliall recede on their wings with its hopes and its strife. The joys and the sorrows ye brought in your course, tThat brightened or saddened-whate'er was their source, ghall soften in distance, till all shall appear iiikc storms and the sunshine that vary the year. Oil, years that so swiftly have glided away, I'll not mourn your departure, nor court your delay Your flight does but lead to that season when peace Shall descend on the heart and its tumults shall cease When youth with its envied enchantments shall seem, As we musing look back, like a feverish dream Oh, who for its fairest possessions would bear Again it, wild conflicts of hope and despair •Oh, who would retrace life's best journey, if they Idust recall with the roses the thorns of their way, the pangs they have suffered, the cares they have known, III the troubled review of the years that are flown ? Then days of the future, though fancy no more, Your perspective shall paint in bright hues as of yore When I jovfullv greeted each year as it rose, For Llreaii;e(t ot the grief that should sadden its close Ye yet in your course may divinely bestow A charm that shall soften and heal every woe That time has inflicted, whose wing, as he flies, -Brings peace to the good, and fresh joys to the wise.

UNIVERSITY REFORM.—A manifesto entitled NtiLiz tiom for the Extension of the Cuiver-ity" )ia? been s,,?: mitted to the Hev. the Yice-Chaneellor, by William Sewell, B. D. The substance of the Suo.:o.:t'SIÍc>t1s' is, that the two universities should make the attempt to branch out over the country, by establishing ,lislricl colleges undcr their control in the principal towns of England :—these colleges j to be provided with leclurers and professors, to be exempt from the operation of theological test?, and to haw Ihc pridlc-ge of securing uniwNit) degrces %u(,!i of their students as shall be found qualified by university exami- ners appointed for the purpose. Though it may not be possible, the manifesto sa,, tobringthe maises requiring education to the university, may it not be possible to carry j the university to them —This is an impoitaut document. It virtually surrenders at the hands of those from whom such a surrender was least to be expected, the fullest mea- sure of university i reform claimed by the most liberaleduca- tionists-noll-ril tience, the extension of the professorial system, and the abolition of tests.

THE POPE'S BL'LL IN out FIELD. To ihe Editor of the Xortl, Wales Chronicle. The following metrical narrative of recent events should be signed with niv name, i; I knew what to mself, but that is just what I do not know and there- fore ou must be content to accept it as the production RIPDLI: MI: RIOE, RIDDLE ME KEE, The Pope was tapping hi, hdy skull, Thinking what nation he best might eull But his Papal brains were heavy and dull, 'Till the d-I whispered, have a pull- Pluck up your courage, a v. 1 try John Bull. I. That horn-lnad beast is ever y' •: foe So tell him now, as you to! 1 Mii.to, That into his paddock your Bull shall go, To teach his cattle how they should low. Then the Pope, well-please. said. It shaH be so:" The Bull was chosen and gxd at need; A wise-man offered the brute to lead, With a ring, to Westminster-close, to feed, And pass with the people as quiet of breed, I'util he could get him to Smithfitld mead. It was done; but the drovers, lurking about, Soon spied the Bull, and be .ran to shout He must'lit come here, with his ugly snout!^ What are you arter, you/w'i i' l.<ut? You're not one of u-Gt cut 1 get out:" mother:" She 1 rvhts at Rome!" Does she know vou'reout V" home! go home h Has she sold her m.1ïOft." rray foam, I swear by the cross of Saint Peter's dome, I'm the quietest fellow in C oiristeudom. Thus saying, the wise-man leaned 0n his staff, And aslied if their cow had ever a calf! Whereat the sly ones began to laugh. And said he was not such a very great ran: While h'me ,í them offered him ,C1?f.Jti ¡'.ha:f! They said, thev bo>re him r.o very ill will. But keep his hands from their till; And as every Jack should have a Jill, They'd 110 objection to coo aud bill With the rich-color'd woman who sits on a hill. But the tirov er, Johnny, a woo sattcy chap. Whose fam'ly had long been fa on Chuich pap, With l'uriti?"' a little ezir'.? 1p. S:Ul out. a, he a"t' the 1,,?r Bu:t np. Be otf with your imperar..o, f.? ?-? C?. have none of your mumtierj, Iter1. I W2en, No Hitting here with your Your Bull is an old one.wicked â::L1 lean Y,u.n" a half-bred cove, not over clean; And to towel jour shaven p U 1 mean." Then the wiseman said. •• If I ck,. I But Jl,hn¡.. m boy, your mind youdor.'t k:w Before you said' Yes. :tnttlllHV you say No You invite m\ Bull, then give iiiin a blow But he'll you. Johiin;. I tell jou so Then Johnnv whittled, and shouted.to blows! Until most of the blacking-men arose, And, d g the 1'opc and all his toes, Thev fastened the Bull by his Roman nose. And hustled pocr Red Cap out of the close t

HOME IN THE FAR WEST. My home is in the far west, Where the water melons grow; And Nature sets her flowers upon The lovely myrtle bough; Majestic wears the cedar tree, Its mighty arms outspread; 'Tis there the sun pours forth its light, O'er plain and mountain's head My Col stands by the torrent wild, "Where falls the cataract clear Impetuous runs the surge along, Nor stops in its career. Through all the haunts of Xatllre fr3e, In search of flowers I'm led Along the smooth and glassy lake, Where rests the lily's head. And when fatigued at close of day, On roses make my be.1 The humming birds shall soothe my ears, Nor dangers will I dread My Cot stands by the torrent wild, Where falls the cataract clear; Impetuous runs the surge along. Nor stops in its career. Dentition,Danctchymedd.

LITTLE ELLEN'S GRAVE. CTlie Daughter of Mr. John Williams, Draper, Kliyl, yvho departed this life, December 22nd, 1850.) o Feild chwennycbwn daenu nefol hedd A, hyd dy waelod oer ei wedd Cyn (Jodi N-iiot Elle?afack Pe cawn ryw ddail na wywant mwy Fe'u dodwn Invy tan Ellen fach! Tra phrudd yw'r olwg arnnt heddyw sydd Ci-ii derbi-ii 'Ell, iti ,u,id- A wylo dagrau 'r ydyrn ill 011(1 gau 'fod lesu wrth dy ddor D" agor WUII i'w derbyn hi. Mae, mae ei henaid bach o gyrliaedd gwae i,lewti nior o fNv) iiiant I)arliau, I fynu mae o fewn y lief; Ond wele'r corf tyn d'ofal di, Nes clywir sain yr olaflef! I,lawn swyn cheded yr awelon mwyn Dros feddrod Ellen yn ddi gwyn, Gan daenu arno flodion fyrdd O gwisgant ef a delw liardd Fel nefol nrdd, yn wyn a gwyrdd. O hyd hoed angel gwyn o'r uchaf fyd yll "gwylio ei gweddillion drud, Yr lesu bia 'r llwch o'tl1 fewn Fc ddaw yr awr, y gelwir hi o dau ci bri-a'i gwe!'d a gawu, Na foed i'n ofni gwerth yr lawn a roed A, Gaifari, dros bob rhyw oed; Yu gwenu ynddo y mae Duw. Y11 ngwyneb hwn nis .{all y bedd Ddifodi ei gwedtl, daw etto nfYw Heb loes fe'i gwelir hi am fythol oes Trwy rin y marw ar y Groee Cyfiawnder gWJn am daiii fydd 11 i chwery'r del) ii aur i-ii lloll Heb ofnus fron, o'i phoen yn rhydd! Yn iach am enyd fer i Ellen fach, Nes cawn ei gweled etto 'n iach, A'i newydd wedd fel borau wawr, Ar Un y bedd heb unrhyw fraw Cawn ysgwyd Haw, yr olaf awr! IORWRATH ULAM ALED. i

XiirEBATURE. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, AND NEW YEAR'S GIFTS. As testimonial3 of affection, or rewards ot merit, what can be more appropriate or more acceptable presents, in these knowledge loving days and at this festive season, than good amusing and instructive books. A batch, which has for some time been upon our library table, and which circumstances have hitherto prevented our noticing, affords ample room for selection, and to them we have to direct the reader's attention. Mr. H. G. BOIIN'S STANDARD LIBRARY.—This com- prehensive series of works of established repute con- tains an immense fund of information of almost every description. Three volumes lately issued are Lives of the most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, translated from the Italian of Georgio Vasari, with Notes and Illustrations, chiefly selected from various Commentators, by Nirs. Jonathan Foster, Vol. 1. A bodyof well-digested criticism of the last three hundred years is here presented, and Vasari is given faithfully, without any other deviation from the original than was necessary to suit the difference of style between his age and that now current. Junius, including Letters by the same writer, under other signatures; to which are added, his Confidential Cor- respondence with Mr. Wilkes, and his Private Letters to kfr. H. S. Woodfall, with new evidence as to the Authorship, and Extracts from an Analysis by Sir Harris Nicolas. By John Wade." The identity of this great writer has ever been as marked a subject of public curiosity as his productions have of general admiration. All the results of indefatigable research are collected in these volumes, and enable the reader to study the question with interest and advantage. Holy Living and Dying, together with Prayers, containing the whole Duty of a Christian, and the Parts of Devotion fitted to all occasions, and furnished for all necessities, by er:;h'RhI:'h\ iI of a ce l ebrate d wor k at a time when the Church is torn with divisions, and men have need rather to look after the means of their own salvation than to criticise those adopted by their neighbours, will be highly acceptable to many to whom it has hitherto been a sealed volume. The self-examination and coriection which it inculcates must at all times be valuable. Ma. H. G. BOIIN'S ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY.— Three Courses and a Dessert; coi-nprising three Sets of Tales, West Country, Irish and Legal, and a Me- lange with Fifty Illustrations by George Cruik- shank." This is a wonderful volume, full of fun of the richest and choicest description. The tales are admirably qualified to wile away the tedium of the long winter evenings, to elicit roars of laughter, and to excite intense interest. Their perusal has afforded us the best entertainment which we have enjoyed for a considerable period. The book must liaye an immense circulation. Mn. II, G. BOIIN'S SHILLING SERIES.—The pub- lisher has lately taken to issue double numbers at eighteen pence, and works already sufficiently cheap are thus rendered still more accessible. Two of these demand our attention "The Berber, or the Moun- taineer of the Atlas, a tale of Morocco, by William Starbuck Mayo, D. D., a most exciting description of an extraordinary people, who in ancient days cut a remarkable figure on the world's stage, with accurate illustrations of their manners, customs, history, and geography in the present day. The incidents narrated, dg¡h we t:e P::({Í1 un d:¡:el¿ia; observations, are most startling. It is to be hoped that another book in which the proceedings of the after life of the Berber may be depicted shall be written. Genevieve, or the History of a Servant Girl, translated from the French of Alphonse De Lamartine, by A. H, Scoble." Romantic and pretty, of course, and likely to become very popular with the class for whose especial entertainment it was written. The preface is itself a novel of no ordinary interest. THE HOME CIRCLE.—THE FAMILY FRIEND.—These admirable rivals for popular favour continue to put forth the most powerful attractions and decidedly es- tablish their claim to the titles which they have as- sumed. As fireside companions they surpass all competitors, and the manner in which amusement is blended with instruction is incomparably clever. To the humbler classes especially they are a great boon, and may be productive of beneficial fruits, but the matter which they furnish will also be acceptable in the highest degree to those whose circumstances give them access even to the more expensive periodicals. The best writers of the day are contributors, and art has also been pressed into the service by the conductors with eminent success. The works are, in truth, ma- gazines of general knowledge, and such as should be extensively encouraged by all advocates for enlarging and cultivating the minds of the people. When bound in volumes, the one in green and gold, the other in brown and gold, in which form they may be purchased, they are worthy a place in the drawing room or the library. PLEASANT PAGES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.—This is a periodical for juveniles, who have not attained so great a proficiency in general knowledge as those who may be presumed to be qualified to read the above, but in its sphere it is of equal utility and deserving of an equal amount of encouragement with the others. Its aim is described in the preface to be the foundation of good, moral, and intellectual habits in the rising generation, and this end it is calculated fully to realize. TOMLISS'S HELP TO SELF EDUCATORS.—Another periodical, just commenced, and likely to take well with the reading public. It is designed for children of a larger growth, whose education, in matters im- portant that they should know, in order that they may pass through the world without being pointed at for ignorance, has been neglected. The hints and ex- tracts which it gives on subjects of history, art, politics, literature, &c., are useful reminders even to the more advanced though often forgetful student. THE COTTAGE GARDENER'S DICTIONARY.—An ad- mirable manual, hearing somewhat of the character of a Gardening Encyclopaedia. It explains, in alpha- betical order, the terms used by gardeners describes practically, their operations: and gathers together, under their common names, all the usual tenants of the garden; with a condensed description of all useful trees, shrubs, flowers, culinary vegetables, and fruits, with their history and culture. Not only the genera, but all species and varieties the most deserving of culture are described. The colours of flowers, the times of blooming and of production, the heights of the plants, the proper pronunciation of names, useful tables, and every information that the noyice may re- quire, and the practitioner may occasionally forget, connected with the understanding and practice of gardening, are gathered into this little periodical. THE PALLADIUM.—Another monthly Journal of li- terature, politics, science and art, with somewhat of high pretension. There seems to be 110 limit to the number of periodicals which are constantly springing up in England for the instruction and entertainment of the people. THE GIN row HE A TREASON.—A thick volume, giving not only an authentic account of the mode in which this awful conspiracy was detected, and a perfect rela- tion of the proceedings against the conspirators, the confessions of Fawkes and Winter, but a faithful report of King James's speech to Parliament, a preface touch- ing the conspiracy, written by the then Bishop of Lin- coln, and an A ppendix containing the papers penned by Digby during his confinement. The publication will be found useful at the present period. COCKS'S MUSICAL ALMANAC.—This almanac, which is in the book form, ought especially to be patronized bN Professors and Amateurs of Musical Science. In addition to the usual calendar, it furnishes a complete chronology of all the interesting events connected with music and musicians, with a great variety of critical, historical, anecdotical and other information, which is as amusing as it is instructive. A list of the London Musical Societies, and a Memoir of Czerny are ap- pended. HEES IMPROVED DIARY AND ALMANACK.—Our coun- tryman, Mr. Rees, of Llandovery, has been most successful in his preparation of this Almanack. We do not know of one more useful for general purposes, or in which a greater quantity of varied information is combined. The diary pages are an important feature in the work. T.\I1"S MAGAZINE.—Tait is a yvell known Liberal, and Liberalism is not always soundness in these de- generate days; but he does not much interfere with politics, and generally develops a large fund of enter- taining matter, which we read, when we get the oppor- tunity, with a good deal of gusto. TAI.HS'S DRAMATIC MAGAZINE.—A spirited under- taking and one which we hope will be successful. The engravings are very beautiful, the portraits accurate, and the matter good and nicely printed. In the December number the Editor has taken up the cudgels against the llev. Mr. Close, of Cheltenham, and given him a desperate flogging, charging him with a desire to keep any other performers than himself out of the town, and urging the people to pay for pews instead of places, from selfish rather than spiri- tual motives. Unfortunately, in the lecture which he delivered against the stage, the rev. gentleman laill himself open to this retort, and appears fully to have deserved the castightion which he has received. CHAMRERS'S EDINBURGH JOURNAL.—Always enter- taining, always instructive, we receive this old estab- lished and favourite serial with pleasure. Its articles are often of practical utility, and are written in the highest style of literature. A few other works must be left for future notice.

RUSSSIAN SUPERSTITIONS. t THE PBINCIPAL FANATICAL SECTS OF RUSSIA. I (Abridgedfrom Evangelical Christendom.) SELF-IMMOLATORS.—The dogmas held by the Self- Immolators are unknown, none but the fully initiated bemg acquainted with them, and they being sworn to secrecy. But the almost yearly recurreuce, in one part or other of the empire, (most frequently in its northern parts, aq in Siberia, the Government of Saratov, See., &c.,) of a horrible catastrophe bears irrefragable testi- mony to the continued existence of the sect, and the undiminished influence of their cruel faith. The mode of immolation is various, yet the most generally resorted to is as followsA large and deep excavation having been dug, (the size being regulated b the number of intending immolators,) under the o?servaiiee ofgolenin mysteries, it is surrounded with a highly piled fence of straw, dry branches, and other a h,tb?lsyt igles, and when all is prepared, the community, amounting to 20, 50, and even occasionally 100 fanatics, descends simultaneously into the pit, and having unitedly kindled the surrounding faggots, congregate in the centre of the excavation, and, amid the utter- ance of wild shouts, and snatches of still wilder songs, burn themselves to death with the most heroic com- posure. Or, perhaps, a party of intending immolators assemble in a house previously engirdled by piles of combustible matter, and having closed the doors from within, set fire to the building, and await death by burning or suffocation, amid alternate silence and singing. The neighbours gather around, but not to disturb the sacrifice, for the worshippers are holy, and celebrate their fire baptism Magistrates and police almost never learn what is going forward until all is over, and as survivors seldom remain, there is none to punish Earlier travellers, as, for example, Pallas, Gmelin, Georgi, Lepuchin, &c" coincide in their relation of similar self-immolations, yet now and then a more summary method is resort?d to. Thus, for instance, as I was credibly informed, there occurred, not long since, a sacrifice" on the estate of M. de Guriew, situate on the left bank of the Wolga, in which the fanatical worshippers preferred sword to fire, for ac. complishing their purpose and having assembled by appointment, and gone through a number of ceremo- nies, commenced their horrid work by a furious at- tack on each other. Several lifeless bodies already bore testimony to the stern seriousness of their resolve when the love of life awoke in the bosom of a young woman, who fled from the scene of slaughter, and took refuge in a neighbouring village. The police, thus being made cognisant of what was being tran- sacted, hurried to the place, but found only two sur- vivors of the bloodv tragedy, while forty-seven corpses strewed the ground The two surviving murderers were tried and condemned to the knout, but they hailed their punishment as an ennobling martyrdom, uttering triumphant shouts at every stroke. What ideas are connected with the endurance of this voluntary immolation, it is vain to conjecture. Yet the very term, fire baptism," implies the adop- tion of some dark, mysterious doctrine and that some species of recognised principle and system must exist among the devotees is evidenced by the fact, that si- milar immolations, in a nearly identical form, stand on legal record, during more than one century of Russia's annals, as having occurred, at greater or lesser intervals, in the most various and wholly dis- connected parts of that vast empire. SELF-MLTILATORS—THE SKOPZI.—Next in the ranks of fanatica!atrocitytotheSeU'-tmmo!ators stand the Self-Mutilators, and, of the various grades into which these are divided, the Skopzi (orEunuchs) occupy the foremost place. T hese dec l are the Bible now in circulation to be ei:f;;shwar,,rttm! IW gseyn.,Ie assertm? that the true Gospel was indeed formerly in their possession, but that it is no loner accessible, naving been built up in the cupola of St. Andrew's Church, in St. Petersburgh, by Peter III., who they maintain to have been not only a Skopzij but their chief, and, in fact, a new emanation of Christ. Their fanatical mutilation, however, (which is performed by old women,) cannot be shown to stand in any con- nexion with their theological system the chief points of which are—First, that God was originally one and indivisible that he a fterwar d s create t the wor l d an d revealed himself to it under various characters, first in Christ as Son, who, however, they deny to have been possessed of proper deity, but pronounce him to have been only hpohwn Blagsdati, or the God-consecrated, the God-pervaded-one, who spoke according to the inspiration of God; while, as Holy Ghost, they say God the Father reveals himself daily and constantly in his true children, viz., the Skopzi. Second, that the Christ has never been dead, but still walks th.. earth in one form or other, (but always«exless;) at this present time, however, as Peter III., who. far from having been, a? history given out, murdered to secure Catherine I I, in the iiiet possess i on of the t b rone, fled, say the o:i: o (slS(:ldie\: hbteall:¡ being buried in his stead;) and hence, ever since, all weal and safety may be looked for as coming out of the East. Indeed, he himself may be expected soon to appear, and, ringing the great bell of the Church of the Ascension, (in the Kremlin,) summon his true dis- ciples, the Skopzi, to his standard, from every part of the world Then should commence their never-ending reign in pomp and splendour; but only during this iefor the Skopzi do not believe in a resurrection of the body. Neither do they observe any Sabbath, but celebrate a kind of mystic communion, by the mutual participation of a loaf, which, by having been let down into the grave of one of their sainted personages, has received a mysterious consecration. Of this loaf, a small morsel is eaten by most of them on Easter-day, which, by the way, is the only festival observed by them. Their usual time for assembling together is between Saturday eve and Sunday morning, when all sorts of wild, strange, and mysterious ceremonies are said to be performed. Among one another they call themselves— Karablik," that is, a small frail bark, which rocks itself on the waves. The members of the sect have secret masonic signs, by which they are known to each other one of these is, the binding of a red cloth round the right knee, and striking their hand upon it. The portrait of Peter the Third is to be found in all their dwellings, and he is always painted bare-headed, with a short black beard, dressed in a blue caftan trimmed with black fur, his right knee hound with a red handkerchief, and his right hand resting on it. The Skopzi are widely diffused. A large proportion of the jewellers and traders in precious metals, whe- ther in St. Petersburgh, Moscow, Riga, Odessa, &c., belong to the sect. Their proselyting efforts are es- pecially exercised among the soldiery, and they ex- pend large sums, often to the amount of many thou- sand roubles, to accomplish their purpose. In individual governments, as, for example, that of Orel], whole villages may be found composed entirely of Skopzi: yet, strange to say, nothing meets the eye indicative of the abnormal position of the community. On the contrary, one sees well-regulated households, women, children, &c., in short, all the usual signs of a natural order of things. This is, however, explicable by the fact, that, in such districts, the men actually marry, and not until one son has been born to them, do they submit themselves to the characteristic rule of the sect. By far the larger proportion, however, of the rising generation, in such communities, is war- ranted to trace its descent to the inhabitants of neigh- bouring hamlets. But the domestic harmony of the Skopzis is so far from being thereby disturbed, that those nominal husbands and wives continue to live together in the most cordial manner, and the men care for the bringing up of their wives' offspring with nil the diligence and warmth of a real paternal relation! Officially registered, and standing, therefore, under police observation and control, there are not more than between two and three thousand Skopzi; but their actual numbers may fairly be estimated at ten- fold that amount, and their enormous wealth readily explains the anomaly by which the police remain ig- norant of their persons, while yet intimately acquainted with their purses! TnE Cifll.ISTOWTICIIINi,Nearly assimilating in point of doctrine to the Skopzi, and, indeed, claimed by them as being their pioneers and prospective bre- thren, is the sect of t))pChihstowtschini,or"scourgers and mortifiers of the flesh." At their meetings (which are held in rooms in which no pictures dare be seen) they jump and tramp about in a circle, each scourging e, .1c?l other. A vessel filled with water is placed in the middle of the chamber, from which they sprinkle themselves at intervals, and occasionally swallow a mouthful from the hollow of their hand, until at length, giddy and worn out, they sink down in utter exhaus- tion. In this state some are affected with convulsions, and under the iuflucnce of what they term the spirit," break out into prophetic ravings. On one night, in the year, however, their extravagances are suffered to assume a darker character. After their mad caperings have lasted till midnight, the men sink down on the benches, which are placed round the apartment, while the women throw themselves below the benches. Suddenly, every light is extinguished, and this gives the sigual for the most horrible orgies, called in the Greek language swalnu-giech. They abhor dogs, as being possessed by the devil, but are fond of cats and regard the black tarakane (a sort of insect) as guardian spirit against sin, and there- fore maintain that to kill them is sinful. In strange contradiction, however, to their recognition of Christ as their founder, they insist on all who attend their worship, for the first time, scoffing at Him and spit- ting on His picture. They acknowledge no marriage tie, but practice a community of wives, although, in order to deceive the ecclesiastical police, they come m pairs, to be married by the Greek popes. The children are regarded as public property, and must, at a certain age, be solemnly handed over to the charge of the community. On Easter-eve, a solemn assemblage in honour of the Mother of God, is held by the Skopzi and Chhsti in common, on which occasion very horrible ceremonies are observed, the chief of which is asserted to be as follows: A virgin of not more than fifteen years, who has been argued and cajoled into entire submission to their will, by the most magnificent promises is placed naked, but bound hand and foot, in a tub of warm water. Old women then approach her, and having, with the sharp knife, made a deep incision at the pit of the stomach, draw it along to the root of the left breast, which they cut off, with wonderful dexterity, and stanch the blood with strange rapidity. During the horrible operation, the poor victim has placed before her a mystic picture of the Holy Ghost, in the con- templation of which she is to try so to immerse herself as to lose all sense of corporeal pain. The severed breast is then laid on a trencher, and being divided into a multitude of small portions, a morsel of it is consumed by each of the members present. The wretched girl is then lifted out of the bath and laid on an altar previously placed close by, and the whole company dance round her, madly shouting, Up and dance! Up and sing Up to Zion's mountains!" The jumping and shouting become madder andlouder at every round, until suddenly the lights are extin- guished, and those feaful orgies before alluded to com- mence. My secretary, on whose veracity I have every reason to rely, assured me that he had, in the course of )ns life, known several of those mutilated girls, who were invariably treated by their sect as "sanct?ed ones," but had, he said, the appearance of being fifty ors.?y before they attained their twentieth year, an d seldom, if ever, live to be thirty. One, however, he had ,kno("wn, who was afterwards married, and had two cnilar THE BESSLOWESTNIGE.—Another sect, whose doc- trines and even outward ceremonies are nearly un- known, is that of the Besslowestmge, or Dumb-ones. Whoever joins this sect becomes instantly dumb, and nothing can henceforth extort one syllable from him. The Russian Government has taken much pains, but all in vain, to obtain certain information respecting these people; and some of its officials have gone so far as to subject the poor wretches to the torture, but all to no effect. ASCETIC DEVOTEES.—Next in the rank of self-tor- mentors to the Immolators and Nftttilators, may be ranged several classes of ascetic devotees, and of these the most remarkable and numerous divisions style themselves the sect of the Glorified Redeemer. According to the well-known legend of the Latin Church, the impression of our Saviour's countenance which remained on the han k ?rc h ie f handed to the suffering Redeemer by St. Veronica, in order to wipe the sweat from His brow while bearing His cross, and which he returned to her, as an acknowledgment and reward of her love, furnished St. Luke with the hea- ven-attested lineaments, according to which lie drew the first portrait of the Man of Sorrows." This pic- ture, however, though revered in the Western church under the name of the Sitffering Saviour," is by the Eastern worshipped as the representation ofthe lilO- rifted Redeemer," as he looked at His ascension, and forms the chief object of veneration,—the centre, in fact, of the worship of that Russian sect now under consideration. All other pictures whatsover are pro- hibited, either in their private dwelling or churches, and its contemplation constitutes their sole devotional exercise, when they meet together for the purpose of Divine worship. One very singular sect, however, still remains to be noticed, viz., that of the Sabbatniki, or Sabbath-re- verers.. According to Karamsin, they first appeared in 1170, in Novgorod, where a Jew from Klow, named Zac- charius, succeeded in getting over some Greek priest to regard the law of Moses as the only inspired rule of faith and morals. The doctrine spread, notwith- standing repeated and fierce persecutions, ill which neither fire nor sword was idle, and even at the present day their numbers are said to be on the increase, es- pecially in Siberia. They neither know, nor desire to learn, Hebrew, but content themselves with a Sclavonic translation of the Old Testament. They look forward to a future Messiah upon earth, but are Sadducean in their dis- belief of a resurrection. They are expert in the prac- tice of cabalistic art, and hence receive (though se- cretly, from fear of the Greek church) no inconsider- able degree of homage as soothsayers and nccro- maticers. A polemical manuscript still exists, written by a monk in the sixteenth century, avowedly ag?tinst the tenaM of the Sabbatniki, which is said to afford sur- ,n?in evidence to wh"t an extent scholastic philoso- phy and the study of Aristotle prevailed, even at that early period, in the Russian monasteries. If such be an unexaggerated description of the su- perst i tious fanatic ism prevalent amon: the dissenters ¥::I:i:hoeuh:kticc:cI;\î{i:.n( the k:I: borne by Baron Harthausen almost necessitates this conclusion,) we cannot but join him in the regretful surprise he expresses that the Lutheran clergy, so long legally domiciled in that country, have not turned their attention and missionary efforts more to the healing of this fretting moral sore, and less to the combating of the errors of the Greek church more especially as, in attempting to correct these practices ofhornd crue l ty, they would meet every encouragement an d i:¡eirt% tell:Y Government, which, on the C:1( trary, watches with jealous and generally successful care against all interference with the Established Church. At all events, we are warranted to say, this should they have done, and notleftthe other undone. -Baron i-oit Ilarthaimeii, as transcribed in Evangelical I

EDUCATION.—Education is a companion which no mis- fortune can depress-no clime destroy—no enemy alienate despoti-iii eilsl:iv-e. At home, a frien(I-abroad, an introduction-in solitude, a solace-in society, an orna- ment. It shortens vice-it guides virtue—it gives at once grace and government to genius. Without it what is man 1 A splendid slave a reasoning savage vacillating between the dignity of an intelligence derived from God, and the degradation of brutal passion. THE BEST [ODE OF SECURING HEALTII.-Ilerfe,- health is invariably restored without medicine, incont venience, or ex by D11 Barrv's De l icious Reva- )enta Arabica Food/ ,t;ill,:r: :11;is cost in other remedies. A few out of 50,000 testimonials Twenty-five years' nervousness, constipation, indi- gestion, and debility, from which I had suffered great misery, and which il ? medicine could remove or re- )icve,have been enectuaMy cured by Du Barry's health-I restoring food, in a very short time.—W. R. Reeves, Pool Anthony, Tiverton." Eight years' dyspepsia, nervousness, debuity.with cramps, spasms, and nausea, for which my servant had consulted the advice of many, have been eflectally removed by Du Barry's delicious health restoring food in a very short time. I shall be happy to answer any I I iiirie-, -Ile%. John W. Flavell, Ridlington Rectory, Tli,ee W. F l ave l years' excessive nervousness, with pains in my neck and left ann, and general debility, which rendered my life very miserable, has been radically removed by Dil Barry's health-restoring I-ood.-Alexaii(ter Stuart, Archdeacon of Hos, Skibbereen." Similar testimo- nials from Lord Stuart De Decies Mr. Samuel Bar- low, Darlington, a cure of twenty years' dyspepsia, constipation, flatulency, and irritability; William Hunt, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, King's College, Cam- bridge, who, after suffering 00 years from partial para- lysis has regained the use of his limbs in a very short time upon this excellent food the Itev. Charles Kerr, of Winslow, Bucks, a cure of functional disorders, Mr. Thomas Woodhouse, Bi-oiiilel--recordiiig the cure of a lady from constipation and sickness during pregnancy Mrs. Maria Jolly Wortham, of Ling, near Diss, Norfolk-a cure of fifty years' indescribable agony, from dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, cough, flatufencv, spasms, nausea, and vomttmgs Miss Eli- zabeth Jacobs, of Nazing Vicarage, altham-cnws, Herts—a cure of extreme nervousness, indigestion, and gatherings; Miss Elizabeth Yeoman, Gatcacre. I,4,r Liverpool-a cure of ten years dYSlwp,ia and 1 nervous irritability; Mr. W. Gayleard, of l.>. Bat!- square, Bath-street, Northampton; Ir, Joseph Wal- ters. Broadwell Colliery, Oldbury, near Birmingham a cure of angina peetoi-i, Air. Hugh Lvov, Fethardin cured when given up as tot) fir koiie Doctors t. re and Harvey; James Shorland, Esq., No. 3, Sydney- terrace, Heading, Berks, late surgeon in the h re- giment-a cure of dropsy; James Porter, Esq. Atho- street, Perth—a cure of thirteen years, cough, with general debility. A copious extract of;)0,000 cures sent gratis by Dn Barry and Co., 12i, New Bond-street, London; and through all grocers, chemists, and book- sellers. Cantion,-The health of manv persons having been seriously injured by Arabian Revalenta, Ernl- lenta, Lentil Powder, or other spurious compounds under imitation of name, or called similar by their unscrupulous compounders, it will be necessary to note Messrs. Du Barry and Co.'s name 011 each canis- ter, in order to avoid being imposed upon by hearties, knavery.—Du Barry's Pulmonic Bon-bons, a nice, safe and effectual remedy for coughs, colds, asthma, and all affections of the lungs, throat, and voice, ar- of unrivalled excellence.—See advertisement.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA. I The following letter has been addressed to the Editor I of the Midland Counties Herald:- Adelaide, August 1st, 1850. My DEAR SIR,— Pursuant to my promise to you be. fore leaving England, I have the pleasure to address to you my first monthly letter from this interesting colony, After a seventeen weeks' voyage, which, though accom. panied by unfavourable, baffling, and adverse winds, was rendered extremely pleasant by the excellent accommo- dations of tte ship, the gentlemanly bearing of the cap- tain, the admirable manner in which the officers carried out his energetic discipline, and the good conduct of the emigrants, we dropped anchor in the port of Adelaide j on Tuesday, the lith of June. I proceeded to the city the same evening, and soon found myself in the midst of its busy population. Since then I have seen much of Adelaide and its neighbourhood, and have formed a very favourable opinion of it, and of many of the immediate localities. As little is really known in England of this colony, I propose to give you a slight sketch of the port, the city, and neighbourhood; and then proceed to such topics as are likely to interest those who, like myself, look to it as the future home of thousands 01 our fellow-countrymen. A light-ship is placed in Holdfast Bay, at the mouth of the creek which runs inland to the port, and a steam tug is generally used to draw vessels along this creek to the landing place, about four miles distant. In approach- ing the port, you pass along what appears to be a river, running through an extensive mangrove swamp; it is, however, an arm of the sea, but narrow, and only acces- sible at high water, owing to a bar of sand at its en- trance. The port is small, but convenient, looking like a nar. row dock, but capable of accommodating at all states of the tide ships drawing eighteen feet of water, and with an excellent quay for landing goods. The small | town looks extremely well from the water; the well-1 arranged warehouses, the custom-house, the retail shops, and the hotels, which extend about a quarter of a mile along the shore, with the well-dressed and civil boatmen in their craft plying about, the bullock drays waiting for goods, and the active industry you see in every direction, render the scene interesting and attractive. When we entered the harbour, there were about thirty vessels in the port, with plenty of room for many more. Prepara- tions are making by a public company for a great in-I crease of harbour room, by buildin a sea wall, nndcr the superintendence of Ir, J. C. Hill, civil engineer, (son of M. D. Hill, Esq,,) which will materially increase the accommodations of the port; and as the trade in- creases, the extension of such works towards the sea would afford ample room for all the ships likely to visit the colony. From Port Adelaide a road has been .u\de to the city, which is eight miles distant, of singular character. The first half-mile is a sound metalled road, through the swamp which surrounds the port, extending nearly to Albert Town, but from this place it is a sandy track, three chains (sixty-six yards) wide, with patches of clayey soil and water, and" bnmping-hotes," that would alarm any English driver. On the four-horse coach, these in- conveniences are not much felt, but the strong spring carts, which are generally used, shake and worry the passenger till his bones ache, and cover him bountifully with thick tenacious mud. The transit to the city is generally accomplished in an hour. The city of Adelaide is built on nearly a level ground, and stands about fifty feet above the bed of the Torrens, which, though called a river, is in ordinary weather only a small stream, running between high alluvial banks of the richest quality for cultivation, and losing itselt in tile marshy swamps before reaching the se.i. Adelaide is divided by the river into two parts-Nortli and South Adelaide, and both parts are surrounded by an unen- closed belt of park land, well timbered on the north and east sides by the various kinds of gum trces, (Eucalypti,) all evergreen. North Adelaide when built will be irregular in foran; it is apparently intended to be the "west cnd" of the city. The streets run at right angles to each other; and it will have a large square, several Places" of triangu- lar shape, and" Terraces 11 overlooking the park lands, and in some parts commanding extensive views of the hills on one side, and the sea on the othe Onlyas. all portion is at present built; a large church, however, an Independent meeting- house, with many first-rate houses, and smaller dwellings for the labouring classes, have been erected. South Adelaide is nearly symmetrical in form, and will consist of streets running due north and south,crossed by others running east and west, with five large squares, and terraces on each side overlooking the park lands. The streets are from a mile to a mile and a quarter in length, and vary in width from twenty-two to forty-four yards; those portions which are finished have a fine and even imposing appearance. The view from Coppm's Corner along King William Street, looking north towards the residence of the Governor, or south towards the Law Courts, the Government offices, and the new Post Office, or east and west along Rundle or Hindley Streets, ia a singular one for activity and bustle, and the great number of vehicles, continually passing. The original single- floored bouses are rapidly making way for higher and thoroughly well-built erections, and land which only fifteen years ago cost but one pound per acre is now worth from a thousand to fifteen hundred pounds the acre. It is sold for building purposes at so much per foot front- age, and five guineas a foot is freely given in good situa. tions. The Governor's house, the Bulks of South Australia and Australasia, the Exchange Buildings, the Law Courts, and many of the stores, hotels, retail shops, and private dwellings, would be no discredit to your own metropolis; but the state of the streets out of the range of the bustling part I have spoken of is such as to appal the foot passenger. We are now in the rainy season, and although this year has been the driest known for ten years, still within the last three weeks m itiy of the streets have been impassable for ladies on account of the depth of mud. The park lands are about half a mile in width, and are bounded on the east an,1 south by a beautiful range of hills, with well-wooded heights of evergreen trees, intcr- spersed wiih undulating pasture ground and romantic gullies, with Mount Lofty (:?,f)f) feet high) overtopping the whole; they are the source of endless interest to the lover of nature. On the west side, the eye wanders over a rich alluvial plain to the Saud Hills, which ni irk the line of the sea coast; and on the north a succession of slight eminences is followed by a vast plain twelve to fifteen miles in extent. The neighbourhood outside the-e lands is being rapidly covered with thriving and populous villages, of which Thebarton and Hindmarsh have somewhat of a manu- facturing character; "Walkerville, Unley, and Hiilton,* rural; Norwood, Enfield, Mitcham, an,1 Kensington, woodland; while the district round is studded by the suburban residences of the thriving inhabitants, or the cottages of the agriculturists and their labourers. My own house is a favourable specimen of these Sll. burban residences. It is about four miles scuth of the city; it faces the east, and has the Mount Lofty range of hills in front about three miles away, and the back looks over the low lands to the sea, six miles distant, a good view of which we have from the garden. It consists of i one sitting room, four bed rooms, kitchen, back Kitchen. and dairy, a cottage for a man, suitable out,offices, and about twenty acres of land; the rent is £1(1) a year. The garden is stocked with peach, nectarioe, apricot, almond, apple, pear, orange, and walnut trees, with raspberry plants, tomatas, bananas, Cape gooseberries, pomegra- nates, vines, and olher fruit trees. At this time, less than: six weeks from the shortest day, we have potatoes, cab- bage, broccoli, greens, turnips, radishes, and lettuces in profusion; and the flower beds are adorned with several kinds of roses and geraniums, esclioltzias, Australian lilac, Cape acacias, two or three varieties of oxalis, native myrtle, mignionette, marigolds, and various kinds of native flowers, in full bloom. In a neighbour's gar,len, peas and almond trees are in flower: and on Sunday last, on my return from church, I gathered wheat, barley, and oats in ear, although the plants are mostly but just above the ground The soil appearo to be admirably adapted for agricul- tural and horticultural purposes, and consists of a rich loam, or a sirong marl overlaying limestone, which crops out on all the high grounds. Through this dry seaaon the corn looks strong and healthy, and the supply of vegetables has been abundant, although the weather has been very cold at night, and hoar frost has frequently ootered the ground at sunrise. I fear I have trespassed far too long on vonr space; an J, therefore, postpone for the present all further re- marks, remaining always, My dear Sir, yours truly, C. The property of the Recorder of Birmingham.

THIRTEEN GOOD REASONS FOR BEING A CHURCHMAN. 1. I AM A CHURCHMAN—because I know of no Church that holds the great leading truths of the Gospel more simply, more fully, or more clearly than the Church of England. God has long made her shield and a shelter to the true faith in this country. Many without her pale, have lighted their torch at her altar, and, even when her ministers and members have walked in wilful darkness, she has still, in her anicles, her creeds and services, held forth the radiant Word of Life. The Church of England 1 is not Lutheran—itisnot Calvinistic—it is not Arme- Dllàn-it is Scriptural; it is built upon the Apostles and Prophets, Jesis Christ himself being the chief corner 2. I AM A CHURCHMAN—because our Church does su honour the Bible, How much ,f the pure Word of God does she bring before the minds of her children fvery Sabbath day, and indeed in every day in the week-in the Lessons, the Psalms, the Gospel and Epistles for the day! Moreover, our Church plainly declares, in its lith Article" Holy Scripture c ntaineth all things neces- sary to salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein' nor may be proved thereby, is not be required of an\ man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith 3. I AM A CHI.urn.MAN—because the Church of Eng. lpnd is one of the oldest branches of the Christian Church; she can trace hack her history not merc'v as some would have it, to the times of the Reformation, but to the days of the Apostles themselves; for she was not first formed by the Pr..tenant Fathers, she was only ?/.??, and they were her own children who purified her from the errors and defilements of Popery. I love y Mother Church the more because she is old her hoary head is a crown of glory. The wise man has told me thine own and thy father's friend forsake Dot." ana I nve no reas m to forsake her. 4- AM  CIU'RCIIMAS—bec.mse I find from the Epis- tes of t, Pa-I to Tim,?thv ami Titu;, that the primitive Church had the 0r.1H5 of H¡,h"p" Pie,.ts, and )econ8; and I nna the same orders ex-ist in our own. Change of time and circumstance has, in.W.i, created some differ- ence in her constitution, but I believe that on the whole she comes nearest to the model which the.Apoities left her. 5. I AM A CHI KCHMAN— because no cnurch has pro- duced more able champions for the truth; lIor has any furnished a more goodly company in the "noble army of martyrs;"—men who freely shd their blood to buit.i it np. G. I AM A CHIRCHMAS—because the Established Church is remarkable for the care she liai taken to pro- vide for the young;—by requiring sponsors tor every child; by 8npplying an ad(aira\r, cat"hism for youth; and, by maintaining the most useful rite of confirmation, she lia, beautifully shewn her maternal solicitude and wisdom-she has had her Saviour's injunction in remem- brance-" Feed lamb- 7. I AM A CHn\<:HM\s-becanse I find the prayers of our Church are so plain, so full, so fervent! I have got intimate with the prayer book; I can understand it I can enter into it, so well, that I find nothing like it for public worship. 8. I AM A CHURCHMAN—because I am persuaded that our Church is surpassed by none, the tone of moderation and the spirit of charity which n"t only distinguish her services, but which, eiiice the glorious Reformation, have distinguished her general conduct towards those who have differed from her. 9. I AM A CHURCHMAN—because I love, I pray, for Imily. My Saviour lovedand prayed for it (John xvii.) I trill not, therefore, I dare- not, leave the Church of my forefathers, and thus promote disunion. The Scripture bids me "J/ark them which cause Divisions, and avoid them;" and how shall I, therefore, help forward those divisions myself? (Romans xvi. 17 ) The Scripture tells me also of the last day apostates;—' These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit" (Jude 18.) and I will not be like unto them. 10. I AM A CHURCHMAN—Vcause the scripture tells me to be subject to the" Powers that be;" (Kom. xiii, 1.) and to submit.myself to erery ordinance of mtv for the Lord's sake, (1 Pet. ii. 13.) To turn, therefore, from the Church of England, without such a reason as would sastisfy my Saviour, is to dPSI,i,c the ordinance of man. For the Church to which I belong is supported by the Government under which I live and that Government, though it lolaalts (i, e. óurs u-i'/tj Dissent, does net sanction it, 11. I AM A Clin¡rIDI.lS-hcause I find that the Establishment excites the bitterest enmity, and endures the fiercest assults of the Papist, the Socinian, the Infidel, the lawless and the profane. I cannot hetieve that she can be bad, since they so much hate her; for their hatred is their best testimony in her t'a""ur, Whatsover is of God has, in all times, been hated and railel at by wicked men and heretics. 12. I AM A CHCIICHM IN—because I see that God is blessillg our Church. He ha, revived h;s work in the midst of her. How wonderfully have her faithful atd devoted ministers recently increased how rapidly are they still incrtaaing: At the sme time the tone of god. liness, amongst her serious members, is so simple, so practical, and so exemplary, tLat i, has been fr&Lkly declared by several highly r?,i,e42tatile and candid l)is«en- teri, that there is more of exalte 1 piety to be found within her pale than can be met with amongst all those who differ from her. (See particularly the works of Robert Hall, of Leicester.) God has not fúrsaken-and ought I to forsake her ? 13. 1 AM A CHURCHMAN—because, though I am told my church has many faults, and tl.ougli I in part l,elieve it, I can find nothing human that is faultless: ad if I look closely into other Christian bodies, I find as many and worse blemishes there. I feel persuaded too, that, since God is purifying the Establishment, her principal imperfections will soon be done away- I would say, therefore, .f:1I11 m',therchnrch, as it has been beautifully said of my O mother country—" IJ'iM ail thy faults I tore thee still." Whilst then, I love all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity; whilst I respect the scruples of those who out of tenderness of conscience ditfer from me; and, whilst I avow it as mv choicest, mv noblest distinction, that 1 am a Christian—I thank God that I am able to add, I am also a CHURCHMAN.

f It is at'rted by co;ere 0111,. two .il Priest!)r Presbyters, Eld?, ?,d Deic,)ns: and that .!I litre bi?IU<trMaUM..ho??r.EM??ta!)E)d??-e ?..hup? Th.re ?<r. '"???'?S?"????'?. v«t there was one anion; rh('m !Óueri .r to tL. :est. who enjoyed a. ihoritr over th« re=t; as Timothy see 1 Tis. i. 3( and the ,,ho!e EplS- t1e} was (r a ti.?. n,! as he w.. wh o i atter»ard< calleJ the Ajige. Qf tbo Chu ch of Eflitst' (Rn "1)