pamphlet," the good man went on. "I did not mean it as a threat. I meant that some day you would know me better, and see that I did not deserve to be attacked in that way. And now," said the good man, "tell me all about your prospects; and especially tell me how your wife and children are faring." The poor trader told him, that to partly meet his debts he had given up everything he had in the world; and that for many days they had hardly had bread to eat. "That will never do," said the Christian merchant, putting in the poor man's hand money enough to support the pinched wife and children for many weeks. "This will last for a little, and you shall have more when it is gone; and I shall find some way to help you, and by God's blessing you will do beautifully yet. Don't lose heart; I'll stand by you!" I suppose I need not tell you that the poor man's full heart fairly overflowed, and he went away crying like a child. Yes, the right tack is the effectual thing! To meet evil with good, fairly beats the evil, and puts it down. The poor debtor was set on his feet again: the hungry little children were fed. And the trader never published an attack upon that good man again as long as he lived. And among the good man's multitude of friends, as he grew old among all the things that should accompany old age, there was not a truer or heartier one than the old enemy thus fairly beaten.

AUTUMN HOLIDAYS.

Anecdotes of the Great and Good.

DR. BENSON.-When the Rev. George Whitefield entered on his public work as a minister, he commenced in Gloucester, of which city Dr. Benson was then bishop. Such was the effect of his first sermon, that a complaint was made to the bishop that Whitefield had driven fifteen people mad. "Then, I hope," said the worthy prelate, "that the madness may not be forgotten before the next Sunday."

THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE.-When the princess was a little girl, she was one day taking a walk with a single attendant. She saw a boy, whose clothes were very ragged, sitting under a hedge, and crying very bitterly. She hastened to him, and asked him why he was crying. He showed her a wound on his hand, which, for the want of covering, was exposed to the cold air, and gave him great pain. She took out her handkerchief to bind up the wound, when she was checked by her attendant. "Have I not read in my Bible," said the lovely child, "that He who was greater than any earthly king healed the wounds of the leper; and shall I then not follow his example, and bind the wounds of this poor boy?"

BISHOP ASBURY.-This prelate was one of the earliest bishops of the Methodist Church in America. On one of his journeys he passed a creek, on the bank of which sat a slave, fishing and humming a ditty. His name was Punch, and his wickedness was notorious. The good bishop stopped his horse, and entered into conversation with the negro. Having ascertained that the man never prayed, the bishop alighted from his horse, fastened it to a tree, and then took his seat by the side of black Punch. Astonished as the poor sinner was, the kindness of tone with which he was addressed soon secured his confidence. He listened attentively while the bishop explained the doctrines of the Christian religion, and wept bitterly as he was entreated to make his peace with God. More than twenty years elapsed before Bishop Asbury heard anything of Punch. He was, however, one day waited on by an aged Christian negro, who had travelled seventy miles on foot to see him. This was the same man who had received his first religious teaching from the bishop, and who, through that teaching, had become happy himself, and had been instrumental in directing many others to the Saviour.

REV. JOHN NEWTON.-Mr. Newton used to improve every occurrence which he could with propriety bring into the pulpit. One night he found a bill put out at St. Mary Woolnoth's, upon which he commented a great deal when he came to preach. The bill was to this effect: "A young

man having come to the possession of a very considerable fortune, desires the prayers of the congregation, that he may be preserved from the snares to which it exposes him." "Now, if the man," said Mr. N., "had lost a fortune, the world would not have wondered to have seen him put up a bill; but this man has been better taught."

SIR THOMAS FOWELL BUXTON.-Among other remarkable characteristics of this great philanthropist, stands prominently forth his power of concentrated thought. He said himself, "I could brew one hour, study mathematics the next, shoot the third, and read poetry the fourth, without allowing any one of these pursuits to interfere with the other." He was thus able to employ every atom of his energies to whatever purpose he might have in hand.

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE.-The generosity of this great and good man was remarkable; persons in the higher walks of life, and debtors, lying in the London prisons, were specially helped by him. To him it was a real luxury to do good; and what he did, he did "as unto the Lord." Addressing his eldest son on one occasion, he said, "Believe me there is a special blessing on being liberal to the poor, and on the family of those who have been so; and I doubt not my children will fare better, even in this world, for real happiness, than if I had been saving £20,000 or £30,000 of what has been given away."

Useful Statistics.

POPULATION.-The population of England in 1861 was 18,919,353, and of Wales 1,111,795, being together more than the whole population of Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, and Switzerland. Lancashire contains more people than Greece, Hanover, Norway, or Saxony; and Yorkshire with its population of 1,992,674, exceeds every German state except Saxony. The population of London alone was 2,803,034, thus exceeding the entire number of subjects belonging to the king of Greece, Denmark, Hanover, or Saxony. The number of persons living in the counties of Huntingdon, Rutland, and Westmoreland together, amounted to 146,965, being less than half that of the inhabitants of Birmingham, whilst Liverpool contained nearly twice as many as Birmingham. London alone exceeds the most populous county in England, and equals the entire population of seventeen of the least populous counties. Not only does London stand far ahead of all English towns, but if the inhabitants of Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Lisbon, Madrid and Rome were added together, they would present a total inferior tc. that of London.