It was worse in the days of winter, to go prowling about the streets-shivering at cold windows of print-shops, to extract a little amusement; or, haply, as a last resort, in the hope of a little novelty, to pay a fifty-times repeated visit to the Lions in the Tower-to whose presence, by courtesy immemorial, we had a prescriptive title to admission.

In the school, the severity of masters, or worse tyranny of the monitors, are heart-sickening to call to recollection. I have been called out of my bed, and waked for the purpose, in the coldest winter nights-and this not once, but night after night-in my shirt, to receive the discipline of a leathern thong, with eleven other sufferers, because it pleased my overseer, when there has been any talking heard after we were gone to bed, to make the six last beds in the dormitory, where the youngest of us slept, answerable for an offence they neither dared to commit, nor had the power to hinder. The same tyranny drove the younger part of us from the fires, when our feet were tingling with snow and cold; and, under the cruelest penalties, they forbade the indulgence of a drink of water, when we lay in sleepless summer nights, fevered with the season, and the day's sports.

One petty Nero actually branded a boy, who had offended him, with a hot iron; and nearly starved forty of us by exacting contributions, to the one half of our bread, to pamper a young ass, which, incredible as it may seem, with the connivance of the nurse's daughter, he had contrived to smuggle in, and keep upon the leads of the ward, as they called our dormitories. This game went on for better than a week, till the foolish beast, waxing fat, and kicking, in the

fulness of bread, one unlucky minute would needs proclaim his good fortune to the world below; and, laying out his simple throat, blew such a blast, as set concealment any longer at defiance. But I never understood that the lad underwent any censure for his pranks.

And then the nurses used to carry away for their own tables some of the hot joints, which the careful matron had been seeing scrupulously weighed out for our dinners? These things were daily practised in that magnificent apartment, "hung round and adorned" with grand paintings "by Verrio and others.' But the sight of sleek well-fed blue-coat boys in pictures was, at that time, little consolatory to us, the living ones, who saw the better part of our provisions carried away before our faces, and ourselves reduced

To feed our mind with idle portraiture.

One boy was observed, after dinner, carefully to gather up the remnants left at his table (not many, nor very choice fragments, you may credit me,) which he would convey away, and secretly stow in the settle that stood at his bedside. None saw when he ate them. It was rumoured that he privately devoured them in the night. He was watched, but no traces of such midnight practices were discoverable. Some reported, that, on leave-days, he had been seen to carry out of the bounds a large blue check handkerchief, full of something. This then must be the "accursed thing." Conjecture next was at work to imagine how he could dispose of it. Some said he sold it to the beggars. This belief generally prevailed. He went about moping. None spake to him. No one would play with him. He was excommuni

cated; put out of the pale of the school. He was too powerful a boy to be beaten, but he underwent every mode of that negative punishment, which is more grievous than many stripes. Still he persevered. At length he was observed by two of his school-fellows, who were determined to get at the secret, and had traced him one leave-day for that purpose, to enter a large worn-out building, such as there exist specimens of in Chancery-lane, which are let out to various scales of pauperism with an open door and a common staircase. After him they silently slunk in, and followed by stealth up four flights, and saw him tap at a poor wicket, which was opened by an aged woman, meanly clad. Sus picion was now ripened into certainty. The informers had secured their victim. They had him in their toils. Accusation was formally preferred, and retribution most signal was looked for. The steward, with that patient sagacity which tempered all his conduct, determined to investigate the matter, before he proceeded to sentence. The result was, that the receivers or purchasers of the scraps, turned out to be an honest couple come to decay,-whom this seasonable supply had, in all probability, saved from starving; and that this young stork, at the expense of his own good name, had all this while been only feeding the old birds!-The governors on this occasion, much to their honour, voted a present relief to the family, and presented him with a silver medal. The lesson which the steward read upon RASH JUDGMENT, on the occasion of publicly delivering the medal to him, I believe, would not be lost upon his auditory.

I have a few more extracts to give you another time.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM.

WHEN the Queen paid her grand visit to this great town on June 15th, 1858, the children were not forgotten among the hundreds of thousands of people who thronged to see her Majesty. A platform with seats was provided for them, and as the Queen passed by in her chariot with the Prince Consort, they all rose and sung a pretty hymn to a new tune. The Queen was very much pleased to hear them all sing so sweetly. What the hymn was which they sung I do not know; but there were some verses written and printed to give away among the children, and this is a copy of them :

TO-DAY how many children meet,

And who shall name the sum?

What countless thousands throng the street

Because the Queen is come!

Let cries of welcome greet her ear,

And let our joy be seen;

Our gladsomeness her heart will cheer,

As Mother, and as Queen.

And shall we not our voices raise,

And thank the Lord in heaven
For blessings strewn in all our ways,

For blessings this day given?
For spring, from His renewing hand,
So beautiful and green,

So favour'd and so fair a land,

So kind, so good a Queen.

Is not to prayer the promise given?
Are we not taught to pray?

May we not raise our hands to heaven?
And lift our hearts, and say-

"Thou viewest, Lord, this mingled press,

Met in one joyous scene;

Father in heaven! 'tis thine to bless-
We pray Thee bless our Queen!

"All blessings of Thy heaven above,
And of Thy earth below,

A peace divine, a world-wide love,
Through Christ our Lord, bestow;
From every danger and distress
Keep Thou her home serene;
Father, who gave, we pray Thee bless
The Children of our Queen!"

Might they and we, whom God has given
A Mother's love to share,

Make of each home a little heaven

By loving actions there;

Could each in soberness and peace,
Christ helping, cease from sin,
A happy land indeed were this,
Most happy Britain's Queen!

None are so poor they cannot aid

In making England great

Her wealth depends far more on trade

Than adding state to state:

Were peace at home with peace abroad,

No land more blest were seen,

Happy the people, blest of God,

And doubly blest their Queen!