inhabitants. The place began to seem like home; the idea of pursuing my travels to the Celestial City was almost obliterated from my mind. I was reminded of it, however, by the sight of the same pair of simple pilgrims at whom we had laughed so heartily, when Apollyon puffed smoke and steam into their faces, at the commencement of our journey. There they stood amid the densest bustle of Vanity-the dealers offering them their purple, and fine linen, and jewels; the men of wit and humour gibing at them; a pair of buxom ladies ogling them eskance, while the benevolent Mr. Smooth-it-away whispered some of his wisdom at their elbows, and pointed to a newly-erected temple but there were these worthy simpletons, making the scene look wild and boisterous merely by their sturdy repudiation of all part in its business or pleasures. "The Lord of the Celestial City," began the other pilgrim, whose name was Mr. Go-the-old-way, "has refused, and will ever refuse, to grant an act of incorporation for this railroad, and unless that be obtained, no passenger can ever hope to enter his dominions. Wherefore, every man who buys a ticket, must lay his account with losing the purchase-money, which is the value of his own soul." "Poh, nonsense!" said Mr. Smoothit-away, taking my arm and leading me off, "these fellows ought to be indicted for a libel. If the law stood as it once did in Vanity Fair, we should see them grinning through the iron bars of the prison window." This incident made a considerable impression on my mind, and contributed with other circumstances to indispose me to a permanent residence in the city of Vanity; although, of course, I was not simple enough to give up my origi One of them-his name was Stick-tothe-right-perceived in my face, I sup-nal plan of gliding along easily and com pose, a species of sympathy and almost admiration, which to my own great surprise, I could not help feeling for this pragmatic couple. It prompted him to address me. modiously by railroad. Still I grew anxious to be gone. There was one strange thing that troubled me; amid the occupations or amusements of the fair, nothing was more common than for a person-whether at a feast, theatre, or church, or trafficking for wealth and honours, or whatever he might be doing, and however unseasonable the interruption-suddenly to vanish like a soapbubble, and be never more seen of his fellows; and so accustomed were the latter to such little accidents, that they went on with their business, as quietly as if nothing had happened. But it was otherwise with me. Finally, after a pretty long residence at the Fair, I resumed my journey towards the Celestial City, still with Mr. Smooth-it-away at my side. At a short distance beyond the suburbs of Vanity, we passed the ancient silver-mine, of which Demas was the first discoverer, and which is now wrought to great inasmuch as a singular drowsiness here overcame me, owing to the fact that we were passing over the enchanted ground, the air of which encourages a disposition to sleep. I awoke, however, as soon as we crossed the borders of the pleasant land of Beulah. All the passengers were rubbing their eyes, comparing watches, and congratulating one another on the prospect of arriving so advantage, supplying nearly all the coined currency of the world. A little further on ward was the spot where Lot's wife had stood for ages, under the semblance of a pillar of salt. Curious travellers have carried it away piecemeal. Had all regrets been punished as rigorously as this poor dame's were, my yearning for the relinquished delights of Vanity Fair might have produced a similar change in my own corporeal sub-seasonably at the journey's end. The stance, and left me a warning to future pilgrims. The next remarkable object was a large edifice, constructed of moss-grown stone, but in a modern and airy style of architecture. The engine came to a pause in its vicinity with the usual tremendous shriek. "This was formerly the castle of the redoubted giant Despair," observed Mr. Smooth-it-away; "but, since his death, Mr. Flimsey-faith has repaired it, and now keeps an excellent house of entertainment here. It is one of our stoppingplaces." "It seems but slightly put together," remarked I, looking at the frail, yet ponderous walls. "I do not envy Mr. Flimsy-faith his habitation. Some day it will thunder down upon the heads of the occupants." "We shall escape at all events," said Mr. Smooth-it-away, "for Apollyon is putting on the steam again." The road now plunged into a gorge of the Delectable Mountains, and traversed the field where, in former ages, the blind men wandered and stumbled among the tombs. One of these ancient tomb-stones had been thrust across the track by some malicious person, and gave the train of cars a terrible jolt. Far up the rugged side of a mountain, I perceived a rusty iron door, half overgrown with bushes and creeping plants, but with smoke issuing from its crevices. My recollections of the journey are now. for a little space, dim and confused, | sweet breezes of this happy clime came refreshingly to our nostrils; we beheld the glimmering gush of silver mountains, overhung by trees of beautiful foliage and delicious fruit, which were propagated by grafts from the Celestial gardens. Once, as we dashed onward like a hurricane, there was a flutter of wings, and the bright appearance of an angel in the air, speeding forth on some heavenly mission. The engine now announced the close vicinity of the final stationhouse, by one last and horrible scream, in which there seemed to be distinguishable every kind of wailing and woe, and bitter fierceness of wrath, all mixed up with the wild laughter of a devil or a madman. Throughout our journey, at every stopping-place, Apollyon had exercised his ingenuity in screwing the most abominable sounds out of the whistle of the steam-engine; but, in this closing effort he outdid himself, and created an infernal uproar, which, besides disturbing the peaceful inhabitants of Beulah, must have sent its discord even through the Celestial gates. While the horrid clamour was still ringing in our ears, we heard an exulting strain, as if a thousand instruments of music, with height, and depth, and sweetness in their tones, at once tender and triumphant, were struck in unison to greet the approach of some illustrious hero, who had fought the good fight and won a glorious victory, and was come to lay aside his battered arms for ever. Looking to ascertain what might be the occasion of this glad harmony, I perceived, on alighting from the cars, that a multitude of shining ones had assembled on the other side of the river, to welcome two poor pilgrims, who were just emerging from its depths. They were the same whom Apollyon and ourselves had persecuted with taunts, and gibes, and scalding steam, at the commencement of our journey—the same whose unworldly aspect and impressive words had stirred my conscience amid the wild revellers of Vanity Fair. "How amazingly well those men have got on!" cried I to Mr. Smooth-itaway. "I wish we were secure of as good a reception." "Never fear, never fear!" answered my friend. "Come-make haste; the ferryboat will be off directly; and in three minutes you will be on the other side of the river. No doubt you will find coaches to carry you up to the city gates." would explode or sink: some already pale with the heaving of the stream; some gazing affrighted at the ugly aspect of the steersman; and some still dizzy with the slumberous influences of the Enchanted Ground. Looking back to the shore, I was amazed to discern Mr. Smooth-it-away waving his hand in token of farewell! "Don't you go over to the Celestial City?" exclaimed I. "Oh, no!" answered he with a queer smile, and disagreeable contortion of visage, "Oh, no! I have come thus far only for the sake of your pleasant company. Good bye! We shall meet again." And then did my excellent friend, Mr. Smooth-it-away, laugh outright; in the midst of which cachinnation, a smoke wreath issued from his mouth and nostrils, while a twinkle of livid flame darted out of either eye, proving indubitably that his heart was all of a red blaze. I rushed to the side of the boat, intending to fling myself on shore. But the A steam ferry-boat, the last improvement on this important route, lay at the river side, puffing, snorting, and emitting all those other disagreeable utter-wheels, as they began their revolutions, ances, which betoken the departure to be immediate. I hurried on board with the rest of the passengers, most of whom were in great perturbation; some bawling out for their baggage; some tearing their hair and exclaiming that the boat threw a dash of spray over me, so coldso deadly cold, with the chill that will never leave those waters until Death be drowned in his own river—that, with a shiver and a heart-quake, I awoke. Thank heaven it was a dream. LINES FOR THE FLY-LEAF OF A BIBLE. BY THE REV. WILLIAM BARNES. Sweeter than honey in the desert found, FUNERAL HYMNS. MY DEAR BROTHER,-The enclosed hymns were composed on the occasion of the removal of two highly esteemed members of the church of Christ assembling in Tilehouse Street, Hitchin. Although remote from each other in point of years, our deceased friends were closely united in Christian affection. It is worthy of remark that they entered the church at the same time, occupied the same pew, died within a few hours of each other, and were interred in adjacent graves on the same day. "They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided." It is requisite to state that the second hymn was sung on the burial ground in responsive strains. The male members of the church assembled at the tomb of our departed brother chanting the first verse, the sisterhood gathered around the contiguous grave hymning the second. These alternations were felt to be impressive, nor less so the blending of all the voices in the clos ing stanza. Should you be of opinion that either the prosaic facts, or the poetic effusions will prove acceptable to the readers of the magazine, they are at your service. Believe me, dear Brother, REVIEW S. Journals of the Rev. Messrs. Isemberg and the capital of Shoa, a kingdom now Krapf, Missionaries of the Church Mission-independent of the empire of Abyssinia, ary Society, detailing their proceedings in the kingdom of Shoa, and Journies in other parts of Abyssinia, in the years 1839, 1840, 1841, and 1842. To which is prefixed a Geographical Memoir of Abyssinia and South Eastern Africa, by James McQueen, Esq.,grounded on the Missionaries' Journals, and the Expedition of the Pacha of Egypt up the Nile. The whole Illustrated by two Maps, engraved by Arrowsmith. London: 8vo. pp. 529. Price 12s. There is a large proportion of our readers whose attention is sure to be arrested by the word AFRICA. The wrongs of Africa have made so deep an impression on their hearts, and the prompt reception of the gospel by many of the despised children of Africa has so | excited their hopes, that they are anxious to receive all attainable information respecting the social, moral, and religious state of the vast region known by that name, with the interior of which the most intelligent Europeans are very imperfectly acquainted. To readers of this class we dedicate the present article. It is a remarkable coincidence,-such a coincidence however as may be frequently observed when the sovereign Ruler, who has all hearts at his disposal, is about to operate on a large scale for the accomplishment of one of his great purposes, that at the very time that our brethren Clarke and Prince were carrying on their investigation on the western part of the African continent, two missionaries from another society were traversing the eastern part, in nearly the same degrees of latitude. The journey of one of these worthy men was indeed much more extensive and of longer duration than that of Messrs. Clarke and Prince; as Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf left Zeila, on the bay of Tajoura, in April, 1839, and Mr. Krapf did not return to the coast of the Red Sea till May, 1842. Proceeding in a south-west direction from Zeila, after visiting some towns of inferior note they arrived at Ankobar, of which it once constituted a part. An embassy from the East India Company to the King of Shoa had previously gone over the same ground. With the climate of Ankobar and the adjacent country, the missionaries were greatly pleased, finding a cool, vernal, or almost autumnal atmosphere, rich vegetation, and excellent water. After a residence there of a few months, Mr. Isenberg had occasion to return to Europe, but Mr. Krapf continued till the beginning of 1842: During this time he made many excursions in different directions; and, at its close, determining to return to Egypt by a north-eastern route, he passed through some regions which no European traveller is known to have visited before; where he found abundance of rivers, hills, and fertile valleys; scenes of strife among petty tribes and their rulers, who set the authority of the sovereign of Abyssinia on the one hand, and of the king of Shoa on the other, equally at defiance. The geographical observations relating to these countries are, in the opinion of Mr. McQueen, undoubtedly a competent judge, exceedingly important; as they rectify conjectures of former travellers and inferences drawn from their hearsay statements, and render material aid towards the formation of more accurate maps than have been previously possessed. The Geographical Memoir of this gentleman occupies ninety-five pages. It is well known that in Abyssinia, at successive periods, Judaism, Christianity, and Mahommadanism, have been extensively professed. There is reason to believe, though it has been disputed by some writers, that the tradition of the aborigines is correct, that it was a queen of Abyssinia who visited Jerusalem in the days of Solomon, and who is mentioned by our Lord under the appellation of "the queen of the South," and that Candace, also, in the days of the apostles, was another sovereign of the same territory. Be this as it may, nominal Christianity became prevalent there in an early age, and it still con |