tion and gratitude. May it please the Lord to make this study conduce to bring us nearer to him, and to increase his love in our hearts.

Bed-time having arrived, the children retired to repose, having first bidden their parents good-night, and being very well satisfied with the evening's occupation.

86

THE PAPER MANUFACTORY.

THE good resolutions formed by the little Beaumonts were put in practice; and, as their parents were well satisfied with their behaviour and industry, they wished to procure for them, while the season would yet allow of it, the pleasure of a ride to an interesting place in the neighbourhood.

At the distance of six miles from the village of C, there was a large paper manufactory. The owners lived there and superintended it themselves. They had often invited Mr. Beaumont to come and pass a day with them, and to bring his children to let them see the interesting details of the manufacture of paper.

This excursion was looked forward to with impatience, so that Charles and Louisa were very well satisfied, when they were told that they would probably go the next day, as it was desirable to take advantage of the fine weather, which was not likely to last much longer, the season being now well ad

vanced. They wanted to engage Mr. Clement and his family to be of the party, but they could not; the cares of his sacred office claimed the attention of Mr. Clement for the day; his wife was also unable to leave home, so that none but Lydia accepted the invitation.

Lydia was well matured in her understanding, and was of service to her mother in her household, and in the education of her little brother and sister. Her mother eagerly seized the opportunity of giving her some innocent and useful diversion, to vary the scenes of her ordinarily quiet life. Young girls brought up. in a frivolous way and familiar with the world, would have thought Lydia very unhappy, but she judged differently. Her time being constantly occupied,. she had not a moment for uneasiness: and her occu-pations having always some useful end, she felt that contentment which the thought that we have done our duty and fulfilled the objects of our Creator inspires. Being always brought up with her parents, she was well instructed, and she also possessed some talents for pleasing, which, without being pushed to excess, served to amuse the family. She was simple-minded and pious, so that Mrs. Beaumont looked with satisfaction upon the opportunities which her daughter had of forming an intimacy with her, and sought on all occasions to bring them together. It was then agreed, that at eight

o'clock the following morning they would call for Lydia on their way to the paper manufactory.

The next day, at the appointed hour, they entered the carriage. Little Julia was taken to Mrs. Clements, to spend the day, which would afford her more amusement than to go to see a manufactory which she could not at all understand. They took in Lydia, and were soon fairly started on their way. The sun was bright and gave a cheerful appearance to the country, which was beginning to lose its foliage. Some trees still had a few yellow and red leaves, but the greatest number was entirely bare, notwithstanding the country was still beautiful. When they had sufficiently admired what was to be seen on the way, they turned their thoughts to what they were going to see at the end of it, and came to the conclusion that paper was a very useful thing; for, said Louisa, "if we had no paper, we should have no books; we could not write; we could learn nothing; add to which, we should be deprived of the pleasure of corresponding with our parents and friends. What a grand invention is paper! How much I am obliged to the inventor!"

Charles. I do not think we could name the inventor of paper. It seems to have been invented by little and little. Different materials have successively been made use of, until at last paper came to be manufactured in its present mode. I suppose

that in every age there has been some substance on which they wrote.

Mr. Beaumont. As soon as writing was invented, it became necessary to find some substance proper to receive the characters. At first, stones sufficiently soft to receive impressions, skins, articles of cloth, shells, wax tablets, the inner bark of trees and parchment were used, which latter you know to be a preparation of skin. At last the Egyptians made use of the papyrus plant, from whence the word paper is derived. Although, in fact, this is not now the material of our paper, we have retained the

name.

The papyrus is a plant which grows in Egypt, in the stagnant waters which the Nile leaves after an inundation. This plant is of rather a pretty appearance, and bears a kind of hairy plume. It was of the strong stalks of this plant, that the Egyptians made their paper. With the help of a needle they divided the stalks into very thin layers. They then stretched them and moistened them with water. After this they put them to dry in the sun, laying them cross-wise in different ways. Then they put them in a press, and obtained a paper which cannot indeed compare with ours, but which has yet been of great use.

Louisa. What a singular way of making paper.