their wings which seemed too large, too dazzling to fold up; these bright ones oftentimes soared so high, that my eye could not see or my thought conceive aught higher. And now my soul became filled with wonder and delight; for I saw that all the azure, the rosy light, the blazing gold, the fervid crimson, and the deep rich purple, with their varied endless tints which mantle round the rising and the setting sun, are the reflection of those heaven-born wings, when blending together they gather round the Sun of Suns and Light of Lights in untold Glory. This, then, I thought must he have seen who wrote, "The clouds that wrapt the setting sun When autumn's softest gleams are ending, This vision comprises the whole visible Church: the wings are Prayer, the forms and words of Prayer; and the colours denote its spirit, varying in each member, in every degree, from the cold and lifeless to the most warm and earnest. The marks of wings that the dark ones bear, are the privileges once possessed of having been made members of CHRIST'S Church, privileges, the responsibility of which can never be cast away from our souls, though we utterly neglect prayer, and despise the love of God; to such they bring a double curse," better would it have been for that man had he never been born." The wings of the little ones are the Prayers of God-parents, for and imputed to each infant at its Baptism. The loss of the wings would show how seldom we discover any indications of holiness in a child's heart; the low tone of the world, and their own sinful natures, often keep dormant the grace given at Baptism, for many, many years they are wayward and wilful, until the influence of God's Spirit, working through good example and the greatest care in education, causes their latent virtues to spring forth. The vapours are the atmosphere of this world, worldly society, which damps men's energies, renders them unfit for arduous duties, and draws them off from prayer; prayer becomes hurried, short, cold, ineffectual, ceases; and then the soul dies. The first little one is a child washed pure and fair in the laver of regeneration, but early spoiled by having within his reach all the sweets and gew-gaws his little heart desires; the invisible objects after which he runs, are the unreal pleasures of the world, which always elude the grasp, and will inevitably plunge the pursuer into everlasting perdition; his being without guardian wings, would show one brought up by ungodly parents, who neither pray for him, nor teach him to pray; wherefore he leads a life of worldliness throughout. The next two represent more wilful sin-those who, in spite of good education, neglect their opportunities and means of grace. One errs from pride and self-will, he chooses his own paths, as they do who leave the doctrines and teachings of the Church: that he has energy of character is shown in the strength of his wings, but he prays not as GOD would have him pray, therefore he is not accepted. His prayer is not, "GOD be merciful to me a sinner," but "I thank Thee that I am not as other men are." His return ever and anon shows how men do not leave the Church of their Fathers, nor fall into a course of wilful sin at once, but little by little; they halt between two opinions; and when they finally schismatize, they become entangled with various sects and diversities of doctrine, until they perish in the chaos and confusion of infidelity. It looks around in agony, and there is none to help. "He had sold his birthright, therefore when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." The other falls from self-pleasing and love of the world; he cannot deny himself daily and follow after CHRIST. He is only a hearer of the Word and not a doer; but from being well taught and anxiously watched, he sometimes listens to his better self, and makes fresh efforts to cast off his fleshly lusts and the sin which doth so easily beset him; but his efforts are too feeble; he returns again and again to the world he loves. "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning." "For it would have been better for them, not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered unto them." The ineffectual endeavours of his Guardian bring to mind those awful words-" For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the HOLY GHOST, and have tasted the good Word of GOD, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance." The last little one spoken of, undoubtedly means one brought up in obedience and holiness, "in the nurture and admonition of the LORD:" blest by having the prayers of holy persons, and led in the right way by means of their continual guidance and example. He is soon taught by them to pray, and leads so pure a life from the hour of his Baptism, that GOD early takes him unto Himself. The sadness of the bright ones is man's want of faith, when he mourns for the loss of his loved ones from the earth; the one that falls shows undue grief, in sorrowing so bitterly, when, having trained him for an Angel of Light, he is wafted to the Realms of Bliss. The large glowing wings spread over the fallen One, are the effectual fervent prayers of righteous men which avail much. If man's faith were such that he could realize the joys of those that depart in the LORD, it would be impossible for him to grieve, his sorrow also would become joy. The colours around the rising and the setting sun, are the influences of grace shed over the world by the prayers of the whole Church, but more especially by the prayers of God's Priests, who, robed in spotless white, emblem of their holy office, and of their pure and stainless lives, stand before His Sanctuary, each Inorning and evening, offering up the sacrifice of Prayer and Praise, and thus are ever so attuned to His heavenly will, that their souls bask in the sunshine of God's love, and they but walk this earth, to guide and right others on their road to Heaven. As it would be very difficult to say anything new about the first steps of a tour,-railway, steam-boat, &c., I will pass that over, and you must suppose yourself just arrived at S. Malo (viâ Jersey). A woman of masculine dimensions and in picturesque costume, who answers to the name of Marguerite, ascends the side of the vessel, attended by two others, whose office is to search the persons of the female passengers; not a very pleasant thing, especially when it occurs for the first time. There being no help for it, however, we all submitted with a good grace, save two ladies over whom an English officer mounted guard, asserting that he should consider it an insult to Her Majesty's flag if his ladies were subjected to the same treatment. How the affair ended I do not know; we left them on the deck, and took our departure under the patronage of a civil little Jerseyman and his wife, who, because we modestly disclaimed being good French scholars, or experienced travellers, thought us absolute novices, took upon himself the management of our reckoning with the boatmen, and invited us to accompany him to a house he knew of, where, if we had no great variety of dishes, he guaranteed us a sufficiency, cleanliness, and a moderate bill. As it fell in with our economical views we accepted the proposal, and were very well pleased with our dinner of soup, fish, mutton, cabbage, all of which came on the table in succession, as separate courses-bread à discrétion of course, and also cider instead of wine, which was very refreshing.-Before dinner, however, we had followed our baggage to the Douane; and whilst on the subject of luggage, be advised, all inexperienced travellers! to take as little as possible; one article each, is all we have ever allowed ourselves, with a little bag or basket besides in the hand, in case of arriving late, and not being able to clear the Custom-house till morning. To send the Commissionaire of the hotel with your keys is the best plan, as confidence is rewarded by their seldom touching your things. One decent suit to appear on parade, church on Sunday, promenades, table d'hote, is quite sufficient; for the rest, take all your old clothes, it will save a world of trouble—and for men and women, let your garments be, as much as possible, of a washing character. No one but those who have experienced it, can appreciate the luxury of a thorough ablution after a few days' hard travelling. Dinner over, we sallied out to see the town. There is nothing very remarkable, except that to those travelling for the first time, everything appears so new and peculiar, that there will not fail to be enough to interest. The houses are very high, with as many stories as our Liverpool warehouses, but this is not noticeable from the water, as S. Malo is surrounded by a rampart. The town or suburb external to the rampart, is called S. Sauveur, and is the court end a good many English are to be found here, as where are they not? In the afternoon we left S. Malo for Dinant in a small steamer, which plies once, sometimes twice, a day, between the two places. The distance is about fifteen miles up the Rance, as pretty a little river as I ever saw; its banks dotted with villages and village churches, lovely valleys opening here and there. The stream was so rapid that we were three hours ascending, and so narrow in some places, and encumbered with rocks, that they have been obliged in one place to make a lock to get safely through, and a close shave it was. The evening was delicious, and we enjoyed our little voyage amazingly. The navigation ceases at Dinant, which rises abruptly, almost perpendicularly, a seeming barrier to its progress. On landing, two women pounced upon our baggage and contrived to carry it up the hill to our hotel; there are two, of much the same pretensions. Next morning-breakfasted at the ten o'clock table d'hote, and spent the remainder of the day, until five o'clock dinner, in rambling about the town and neighbourhood. Dinant is built up the sides of a very steep hill, too abrupt for any vehicle to ascend or descend. It seems a very busy little place, we saw distaffs and spindles at almost every door, and heard the sound of the weaver's shuttle within. A kind of coarse woollen cloth seemed the principal manufacture, scraps of woollen rags of all descriptions were heaped in baskets for sale, and many were engaged in picking and carding them. One young woman was singing so sweetly over her work, that we could not but stop and listen. We saw bunches of mistletoe hanging up here and there, which we found was a common sign to inform the traveller that he could have "à boire et à manger." The upper part of the town is surrounded by a rampart broad enough to serve as a promenade. We visited the cathedral, and another church dedicated to S. Boileau, both in a sadly neglected state; green mould standing on the walls. They were pewed, and all the decorative part about the altars, &c., in very bad taste. The neighbourhood of Dinant is extremely pretty, the village of Léhon particularly struck us; the ruins of an abbey, a very pretty village church, a mill, and from twenty to thirty picturesque cottages, all grouped beautifully together, and nestled down in the midst of high hills, with a back ground of gardens, fields, and pasture land, the Rance running at its feet, and the hill rising abruptly and richly wooded on the other side. We found the river here full of women and girls up to their knees, washing the same description of woollen rags we had seen exposed for sale in Dinant. A great many English reside in and about Dinant. June 12th. We left Dinant for Rennes, having secured places in the diligence the day before: it usually starts at six, but was put off till seven for the accommodation of an English party. The party turned out to be our Jersey friend, his wife, and a daughter who was at school at Dinant, and her parents were going to spend her holidays in a little excursion instead of taking her home. They had three friends besides with them, and preferring to be altogether in the interieur, we were only too happy to find the coupée reserved for us, which we had been led to suppose was disposed of. It might be worth while to mention here, for the benefit of people travelling for the first time, that you must, if you wish for any particular seat, secure it when you take your places at the messagerie. For instance, with six inside, it is no slight comfort, especially if your journey extends into the night, to secure a corner, but you will not have it unless you take it beforehand, and that sometimes for many days, especially from a large place. The heat was intense, but a plentiful fall of rain the night before had laid the dust, so that we were able to keep all the windows open. The country through which we passed, was very much like our own in its general aspect, pasture and corn-land, hedge-rows, &c,, not that we could forget for a moment that we were in a foreign land, the peasantry, their vehicles, to say nothing of our own lumbering conveyance, and its appointments, were decidedly un-English, but I am afraid I must confess that the country had the advantage of us, in its Christian aspect. We did not pass any group of cottages, however small, that could not boast, if not a church, at least a symbol of the Faith, in the form of a cross or crucifix by the way-side. We reached Rennes at twelve, and again at our friend's |