measures well, and direct them to a successful issue. His friendly sincerity inspired confidence, and wealth flowed in without his seeking. It is true that he had talents for business-a natural shrewdness, quickened by long experience of men and things. But the spirit which carried him through all his difficulties (for, like every man of extensive business, he had had his difficulties), was, that he undertook even his mercantile and commercial negotiations as a service to God, in his appointed sphere of duty. And thus seeking his God in every work that he began, "he did it with all his heart, and prospered."

A NEW CHARACTER - MR. WALTON CONVERSES WITH HIS FRIEND, MR. REUBEN RAFFLES, ON THE CHARACTER OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF GOVERNMENT.

Can they who flock to Freedom's shrine
Themselves to me resign?

There lift the heaven-defying brow,
And here in meekness bow?

There to put on the soul aggrieved,

And attitude their high deserts to claim;

Here kneel, from their deserts to be relieved,

Claim nothing but the cross and their own shame?

Lyra Apostolica.

I AM not going to tell my readers whether our English citizen was a Whig, Radical, or Tory; party names are invidious. I will just mention the principles on which he acted, and the conduct which he

pursued, and then they will be able to form their own judgment.

Like most other persons at his time of life, Mr. Walton took a great deal of interest about politics. He thought the times were serious, and that it behoved all good men to know what was the real state of things, and act up to their principles.

Mr. Walton had an old friend, by name Mr. Reuben Raffles, a person of very different principles and character from himself. Mr. Reuben Raffles had retired, some years before, from a laborious business, and, having his time thrown upon his hands, had naturally taken to read newspapers. While he had been engaged in making money in his business, he had no time for politics, and troubled his head very little about them. In fact, no one very clearly knew whether he was Conservative or Liberal, for he talked and voted sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other. Unhappily for himself and for his country, when the scales were pretty evenly balanced, and his time was rather heavy on his hands, Mr. Raffles took for his guide and counsellor a certain liberal newspaper; from the pages of which he now began, morning after morning, to imbibe Liberalism as regularly as he took his tea and muffins. It was at about this time that the liberal people of the county formed the spirited scheme of setting up a journal of their own, in order, as they said, to open the eyes of their neighbours. The printing establishment was set up at Churchover; and Mr. Reuben Raffles was overpersuaded," as he has since often confessed, to be a partner in the scheme. So that now it became his interest, as well as his inclination, to uphold the side which he had espoused; the value of his property in the paper being at stake. One mode of supporting the concern, was by writing letters to the editor,

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signed Philo-Veritas, Anti-Mendax, or some other fine name; which proved at once his knowledge of both the dead languages, and also answered the end of puffing the paper; for one-half at least of each letter was taken up with eulogiums on the "liberality, impartiality, and talent with which the paper was conducted," which, as coming from a stranger, had the appearance of sincere approbation. Fortunately for Mr. Raffles, and the other proprietors of the paper, they had engaged an editor, who, whatever might be his other recommendations, could at least write English with tolerable accuracy; and he had, it must be confessed, a hard task in preparing his patrons' communications in a presentable form, and then puffing them off in the leading article, by requesting the readers' attention to the letter of their "highly respectable and talented correspondent."

It may be wondered how our Christian Citizen came to be on such intimate terms as he was with a man whose political views, and vain, unstable character, were so little in accordance with his own. The truth was, that Reuben was the last survivor of his companions at the grammar-school. Old friendships and associations will always retain a powerful influence on minds like that of Mr. Walton. He had long tolerated his old friend as a harmless, though somewhat silly old man, and now, even when he had become mischievous and conceited, he could not bring himself to be unkind to him. In fact, poor Mr. Raffles' political delinquency was the fault of the head rather than of the heart; and his good friend perceiving his foible, hoped that he would one day come round again: and Mr. Reuben Raffles continued to be received with almost as cordial a welcome as before.

Mr. Raffles' conversation was full of scraps of nonsense, culled from the leading articles of his news

paper. He had a number of wise saws about "the march of intellect, stride of the human mind, knowledge of the nineteenth century, bigotry, prejudice, priestcraft, intolerance." He could prove, beyond a question, that Englishmen were the most free and most enlightened nation in the world; and the next moment would argue, with equal force, that they were slaves and idiots; and that our poor, oppressed, impoverished country could never prosper until the Reformers had the government in their hands. Then he was always haranguing about civil and religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and political rights.

"You may talk of political rights," said his friend; "but I confess that I regard them rather in the light of most important responsibilities. Living under a free government, as we do, and with the privilege of openly expressing our opinions, and giving our voice for the laws, we are, as it appears to me, intrusted with so many additional talents, for which we shall have to render an account before God at the last day, and which will then be found to be blessings or curses, accordingly as we have used them to God's glory, or abused them to our own vanity or self-interest; and especially those amongst us who are possessed of influence or talent-”

Mr. Raffles winced a little at this remark; for, as proprietor of the Churchover Observer, and occasional contributor, he had a great notion of his talent and influence; and his conscience rather smote him, that some of the opinions advocated in that paper were not altogether conducive to God's glory.

However, he observed, "that he considered politics and religion to be two separate things, and that a man was at perfect liberty to adopt any side of politics which he chose."

"I cannot at all agree with you," said Mr. Walton, "in that respect: the advancement of true reli