he restored it; but the gentleman gave him no other re ward than thanks, and inquired his name and place of residence.

Some months elapsed, when the curate received an invitation to dine with the gentleman; who after he had entertained him with friendly hospitality, gave him the presentation of a living of three hundred pounds a year, with a present of fifty pounds for his immediate necessities.

PRINCE LEOPOLD OF BRUNSWICK.

In the year 1785, Prince Leopold of Brunswick, son of the reigning duke, lost his life in endeavouring to relieve the inhabitants of a village that was overflowed by the Oder, which had burst its banks in several places, and carried away houses, bridges, and every thing that opposed its progress. This amiable prince was standing by the side of the river, when a woman, threw herself at his feet, beseeching him to give orders to some persons to go and rescue her children, whom, bewildered by the sudden danger, she had left behind in the house. Some soldiers who were in the same place, were also calling out for help. The prince endeavoured to procure a flat-bottomed boat, but none could be found to venture across the river, although he offered large sums of money, and promised to share the danger. At last, moved by the cries of the unfortunate inhabitants of the suburbs, and and being led by the sensibility of his disposition, he took the resolution of going to their assistance himself. Those who were about him, endeavoured to dissuade him from the hazardous enterprise; but touched to the soul

by the distress of these miserable people, he nobly replied, "What, am I more than either you or they? I am a man like yourselves, and nothing ought to be attended to here, but the voice of humanity." Unshaken, therefore, in his resolution, and in spite of all entreaties, he immediately embarked with three watermen in a small boat, and crossed the river; the boat did not want more than three lengths of the bank, when it struck against a tree, and in an instant they all, together with the boat, disappeared. A few minutes after, the prince rose again, and supported himself a short time by taking hold of a tree; but the violence of the current soon overwhelmed him, and he never appeared more. The boatmen, more fortunate, were all saved, and the prince alone became the victim of his humanity.

SELF DEVOTION.

My friend F. thus writes to me, July 12, 1788."One instance of courage exerted in the cause of humanity, is more interesting to me, (and so I know it is to you) than all the details of the sieges and battles that ever happened since the creation of the world. Tuesday last presented a memorable confirmation of this truth in the neighbourhood of St. Cloud, where, while a young man of the name of Francis Potel, twenty-two years of age, was at work in the fields, with his father and brothers, a cart with six persons in it by accident overset, and fell into the river. Moved by the cries of the seemhe instantly plunged into the

ingly devoted victims,

water, and being an excellent swimmer, brought one of

them safely on shore. sible, the rest. In this attempt he was equally successful, though he experienced more danger; for on reaching two more of the party (a woman and a man,) the former unfortunately seized him by the hair, the latter by the arm, and with both, in their despairing struggles, he thus sunk to the bottom. At length, however, he rescued himself from their grasp; when having again reached the shore, and perceiving the unhappy creatures again floating upon the surface of the water, he boldly plunged back to their relief, and brought them also on shore, though not without a perilous struggle, which lasted at least three quarters of an hour. Overcome with fatigue, he now found himself obliged to desist from his godlike enterprise. On this, his father, though much advanced in years, resolutely plunged in, and had the good fortune to save another woman and a boy. Of the whole number, only one little girl was drowned; and she, it is supposed, must have sunk under the horse, which, together with the cart, had sunk to the bottom of the river. An action

He then returned to save, if pos

like this requires no comment; for to a breast of sensibi« lity amply does it illustrate its own glory,"

POOR MAN'S MITE.

Out

THE fire at Ratcliffe, in July, 1794, was more destructive, and consumed more houses, than any conflagration since the memorable fire of London in 1666. of one thousand two hundred houses where the fire raged, hot more than five hundred and seventy were preserved. The distress of the miserable inhabitants was beyond de

scription, not less than one thousand four hundred persons being thrown on the public benevolence; nor was it slow

in their support. Government immediately sent one

hundred and fifty tents for the wretched sufferers. The City subscribed £1000 for their relief, and Lloyd's £700. The East India Company also gave £210. But more remarkable traits of that universal charity which is almost peculiar to this country, were exhibited on the Sunday immediately after the fire. On that day the collection from the visitants who crowded to see the encampment amounted to upwards of eight hundred pounds, of which £426 was in copper, including thirty-eight pounds, fourteen shillings, in FARTHINGS! Each a poor man's mite!

EXTRAORDINARY PRESERVATION.

ON Sunday, the 13th of February, 1812, a Mr. Budlong, his wife, child, sister, and brother-in-law, were returning in a sleigh on the ice from a visit to a friend living near the Chippewa Bay, on the St. Lawrence river. They had experienced some difficulty in getting on the ice from the shore; and Mr. B. having wetted his feet, seated himself in the sleigh for the purpose of taking off his stockings, giving up the reins to his brother, who, from inattention, or ignorance of the road, drove on to a place on the ice where there had recently been an air-hole, and which was not yet frozen sufficiently strong to bear; the ice broke under them, and the sleigh upset and sunk, with the two women and a child. Mr. B. sprung from the sleigh while sinking,' exclaiming, "We are all lost!" and fortunately reached

the firm ice the young man who was driving was unable to swim, but struggled until he was reached and drawn out of the water by Mr. B. who retained his hold upon the solid ice. This was no sooner accomplished than Mr. B. throwing off his coat and hat, declared that he would save the others or perish in the attempt; and accordingly jumped into the water in search of those most dear to him. The first that he found was the child, which grasping, he rose to the surface, and brought it within reach of his brother; then drawing himself on to the firm ice, he plunged again to the bottom, and finding his wife, rose a second time with her in his arms, but apparently lifeless, leaving her in the care of his brother, who was calling aloud for assistance from the shore. After taking breath for a moment, he a third time plunged into the water in search of his sister, whom, after groping on the bottom, he found; but, in rising again to the surface, he struck his head against the ice. Sensible of the extreme peril of his situation, and that the current had carried him below the aperture, with a degree of presence of mind seldom equalled, straining every nerve, he redoubled his exertions, and was so fortunate as to again reach the opening, bringing with him the insensible and apparently lifeless body of his sister: both were drawn from the water by the assistance of some persons who had arrived on the shore, alarmed by the cries of his brother. They were all carried to a neighbouring house, where the women and child were with some difficulty resuscitated. Upon measuring the depth of the water where the sleigh had broken through the ice, it was found to be fourteen feet.