Noah Worcester recorded from time to time, of the state of his mind, and his religious experience. They were generally brought out by the recurrence of some interesting event, or the arrival of some era. He kept no regular diary of his religious life, for reasons which he has stated.

"There was a portion of my life in which I kept a journal of the exercises of my mind, and various occurrences of Providence. This I continued to do till I became impressed with the idea that the practice exposed me to temptation; I then discontinued the practice, and destroyed the journals I had kept. I had read diaries kept by others, some of which were very satisfactory and entertaining, in others I thought I discovered in the writers too great a desire to exalt themselves; and I could not but fear that I should be guilty of a similar fault. Even now I could state many things relating to the exercise of my mind while I was young, also many perilous situations in which I was placed, many temptations to which I was exposed, and many instances of the preserving mercy of God. But similar things have probably been common to thousands of others. I can recollect enough to excite in myself both wonder and gratitude, as well as contrition; and these perhaps are the best uses which can be made of such recollec

tions."

1831. The month of November has again arrived. It has been a remarkable month in the history of my life. It was the month of my birth, and that of two of my brothers, and one of my sisters; the month of my first marriage, and of the death of my first wife; of the death of my oldest daughter, and of the birth of my youngest."

"If I am thankful for any thing, I think I am thankful that I was not called out of the world in darkness on the subject of war, and that my mind has been led to examine the subject with so much care. I have also reason to bless God that what I have published on this subject has been so well received by Christians of different sects; and that there is so much reason to hope that the tracts will be extensively useful. I think were I now on my death bed, it would be to me matter of great joy that I was not called prior to my writing on that subject, one so intimately connected with the nature, the success, and the glory of the gospel. On no other account have I more desire to live another year, than that I may pursue my inquiries relating to the nature of Christianity, and its blessed tendency to reform as well as to save mankind. How great delusions I may yet be in I know not; but if my life shall be spared, I hope to be able so to pursue my inquiries, and to correct what is still erroneous in my views of religion, as not to live in vain, in respect to myself or my fellow men. But I feel a pleasure in the thought that

what I have written in the course of the past year, will not die with me. God I believe will raise up others to pursue and to improve the subject till it shall produce a powerful effect on the Christian world. My mistakes others will correct, and the hints which I have given others will improve, and the light will shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day."

April 20th, 1817.-"It is now nearly four years since I came to this place as editor of the Christian Disciple. In the course of these years I have experienced much of the mercy of the Lord, and have enjoyed much comfort in my attempts to correct what I have believed to be erroneous in my own past opinions, and in the opinions of others. It has been my aim to search out, and to publish the truth. Still it is probable that future inquiries will detect some errors in what I have honestly written. Perhaps also it will appear to impartial minds, that I have not been always prudent in my manner of exposing what I believed to be error. I claim no exemption from human infirmities, although my conscience bears me witness that it has been my aim to promote peace on earth and good-will among men of all descriptions."

Nov. 25th, 1817.-No year of my life has been crowned with more mercies than the last; none more satisfactorily spent with respect to myself; and I hope I have not lived in vain as to the good of others. By far the greater part of my waking hours have been employed on the subject of war and peace; and the more I reflect and examine, the more important the subject appears, and the more I wonder at myself and others that it was so long neglected. For all I have been enabled to do in so good a cause, I am indebted to Him who has the residue of the spirit-to Him be all the praise. May his spirit still guide me, uphold me, and furnish me, save me from error, preserve me from sin, and make my heart and my life conformable to the principles of justice, love, and peace, which his word inculcates, and which I have endeavored to disseminate and enforce. Knowing my sun is going down, that my time is short, may I be more and more active to have my work done, and well done, before the night shall come which will put an end to my labors on earth. May I daily imbribe more and more of the spirit of him who was meek and lowly of heart; in this way may I seek and find rest to my soul. While I expose the wickedness of war, may I ever feel true compassion for those who are still bewildered by the custom. What scenes are before me, what trials await me, are known to him who cannot err. May his grace be sufficient for me, to preserve me from despondency and distrustfulness, and from the indulgence of any passion, or the adoption of any measure by which his name would be dishonored, or the cause of truth and peace injured. While I live mindful that my great

THE FIRST SIX VERSES OF THE NINETIETH PSALM.

O Thou, the first, the greatest Friend

Of all the human race!

Whose strong right hand has ever been
Their stay and dwelling-place!
Before the mountains heav'd their heads
Beneath thy forming hand,
Before this pond'rous globe itself
Arose at thy command:

That Power which raised and still upholds
This universal frame,

From countless, unbeginning time,
Was ever still the same.

Those mighty periods of years,

Which seem to us so vast,

Appear no more before thy sight
Than yesterday that's past.

Thou giv'st the word: thy creature, man,
Is to existence brought;

Again thou sayest, "Ye sons of men,
Return ye into nought!"

Thou layest them, with all their cares,
In everlasting sleep,

As with a flood thou takest them off
With overwhelming sweep.

They flourish like the morning flower,
In beauty's pride arrayed;

But long ere night, cut down it lies
All withered and decayed.

THE TEAR OF GRATITUDE.

There is a gem more purely bright, More dear to mercy's eye,

Burns.

Than love's sweet star, whose mellow light,
First cheers the evening sky;

A liquid pearl, that glitters where
No sorrows now intrude

A richer gem than monarchs wear-
The tear of gratitude.

But ne'er shall narrow love of wealth

Invite this tribute forth,

Nor can the sordid slave of pelf

Appreciate its worth;

But ye who soothe a widow's wo,

And give the orphan food,

For you this liquid pearl shall flow-
The tear of gratitude.

Ye who but slake an infant's thirst
In heavenly mercy's name,

Or proffer penury a crust,

The sweet reward may claim;
Then, while you rove life's sunny banks,
With sweetest flow'rets strewed,
Still you may claim the widow's thanks,
The orphan's gratitude.

"The hallowed lilies of the field

In glory are arrayed,

And timid, blue eyed violets yield

Their fragrance to the shade; Nor do the wayside flowers conceal Those modest charms that sometimes steal Upon the weary traveller's eyes, Like angels, spreading for his feet, A carpet filled with odors sweet,

And decked with heavenly dyes.

A JOURNEY IN CUBA.

Trindad and Havana again.

A point of interest to the stranger in tropical latitudes is always found in the seashore. That of Trindad is visited by a half hour's ride to the mouth of the little river, at a point two or three miles east from the port of Casilda.

A short beach of sand lies near the estuary, and the pure waters suggest to every one the idea of bathing. This is safe, however, only in the shallows and within the palm-leaf sheds erected for the purpose, as sharks are abundant, and he who should essay a swim in deeper water would be in danger.

The beach is strewn with small shells in considerable abundance, but larger forms are rare. Of those which are found, the more perfect specimens have almost always been appropriated as residences by the little hermit crab, and the collector will often be startled to find his treasures crawling out of the pocket in which he has placed them.

Going eastward from the river, we at once come upon that most interesting object to the observer of nature, a coral reef. A broad belt of yellow rock, worn by the surf into hollows and little chasms, its upper surface dissolved until it stands up in thousands of sharp, rugged pinnacles, rough as lava, and sharp enough to cut any shoe rapidly to pieces, extends for miles along the shore. In it can be seen in abundance included corals, chiefly of the hemispherical or more solid forms, often of large size, and as far as I could tell, identical with the recent species existing in the sea close by and yet thrown up by storms. It includes also some fossilized shells, such as those of the large conch, remains of crabs and echini.

On its sides and in its hollows, washed by the slight yet unceasing swell, we found multitudes. of small shells like nevita, limpets and chitons. adhering tenaciously to the rock, sea-eggs or echini snugly ensconced in its cavities, actiniæ or "animal flowers," and aplysiæ. The shells cast up from the sea during storms are soon worn out by the surf on this iron-bound shore, but a few days spent in dredging in a few feet or fathoms water would no doubt be richly rewarded.

In many little bays or sheltered spots along this reef are shiploads of recent corals, collected there by the action of the waves; and fifty yards within and twenty feet above the present sea line, among the mangrove bushes which fringe the inner margin of the bare shore, they lie in great quantities. Field walls are built of them, and in the little port town of Casilda we saw fences made of corals, any of which would have been prized as specimens at the North. Nearly all are, like those in the old reef, of the solid and hemispherical forms, such as the common brainstone coral; the largest are the size of one's head, and among a basketful we picked up on the

I had often, in geological rambles in the State of New-York, found fossil corals in great abundance, and in the limestones of the Helderberg, of Lockport and Williamsville, near Buffalo, they are preserved almost in the perfection and abundance of a modern coral reef. This visit to a tropical shore, where forms are now living so similar to those which existed in our part of the world in the old Devonian or Silurian ages, seemed like going back to the early periods of our planet; for one could here trace the same processes which formed so many of our rocky strata long before the territory now known as New-York rose above the waters, and while its hills and valleys were unformed from its one level expanse of sea deposits.

On revisiting Havana, we went to the shore east of the Moro, and found there a reef almost equally characteristic, though its included corals were less distinct. The recent ones thrown up by the waves, however, are there very perfect and beautiful, and, to a considerable extent, appeared different from those on the southern coast. These sea-beaches are lonely spots, of ill repute as being favorable to the plans of rogues and robbers, and those who wish to examin them will do well not to go alone, or if so, not defenceless.

The cemetery of Trindad is probably a fair specimen of those of the island. An area of nearly two acres, in the outskirts of the town, is enclosed by a high wall, through which a large iron gate gives access to the burying ground. In the center a circular, domed, summerhouselike building, we presumed was used as a chapel, though it had no resemblance to the usual form of such edifices.

On one portion of the ground lay many heavy marble slabs, covering vaults, and not unfrequently sculptured with the armorial bearings of the families to whom they belonged, the inscriptions mostly in Spanish, but some in Latin, the terse vigor of which contrasted strongly with the polysyllabic redundancy of its modern offspring. Old as Trindad is, we saw no inscriptions of longer standing than about thirty years. They generally give little information of the deceased, the usual form simply signifying that "this is the tomb of A. B. and his family." The only vault of which we saw the construction was a simple oblong box of brick or stone, its cover lost, its interior half full of weeds and sticks, among which lay bones belonging to several individuals.

The commoner graves were marked by no head-stones, and the single attempt at decoration visible in the enclosure was a little green shrub planted at the foot of one of the vaults. The area occupied by ordinary graves is dug over and over constantly. A new and unoccupied

deep to the coral rock, and in its earthy wall the whole length of a skeleton was visible. Disjointed bones were lying here and there in all directions, and a negro sexton carried on his head a box full of them, and threw them over a wall into a corner of the inclosure, where was accumulated a pile of probably three or four cords of such sad relics of mortality. I believe no coffins are used, except to carry the corpse to the ground. In a corner of the cemetery the garments of the deceased persons are thrown and consumed by fire, with the idea of avoiding contagion.

The whole place was the most wretched and neglected of its class I ever saw, and certainly a disgrace to any people pretending to civilization. There are elsewhere, as in some English parishes, occasional instances equally discreditable; but in no other land does the condition of the cemeteries seem so generally and uniformly bad as it is said to be in Cuba.

The island is said to be free from venomous reptiles. We saw one snake six feet in length, and they are said to be found twice as long, but are harmless. Among insects, however, there are some sufficiently formidable. I caught a wasp not less than two inches in length, with a bulk of body like a large humblebee, and the scorpion is very common. Ladies at our hotel repeatedly found half-grown ones secreted in the folds of their dresses, and once or twice in beds. Their sting, however, is by no means as severe as it is reputed, a very temporary pain and feverishness being its worst usual consequence. Centipedes are found, but their bite is not dreaded like that of the Central American species.

Trindad, like other Cuban towns of which we have heard, obtains little or no good water from wells. Cisterns are attached to the good houses, but the little River San Juan, at this season about the size of a moderate trout brook, is the chief source of supply. It flows about 100 or 150 feet below the level of the town, and is reached by a crooked, paved road through an open ravine or "barranca," up and down which are walking all day long the mules of the watercarriers. These bear on huge pads or packsaddles, made of straw and palm-leaf, each four earthen jars holding two or three gallons, without handles, and with an ample mouth. On the rearmost mule, whose nose is tied to the tail or saddle of his predecessor, sits above the jars a negro, whistling, singing, joking and shouting all the way down the hill. Arriving at the stream, he stops his mules in the center of a still pool, rolls up his trowsers, gets off into the water, and, putting two fingers into the mouth of each jug, proceeds to fill them by immersion. I noticed that they generally did this on the down-stream side of the mules, which effects slightly the excellence of the fluid secured. The