fied astonishment, How! wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's Anointed ?' His death swiftly followed, for the crime had been confessed by his own mouth; the declaration was witnessed by all, and the sin so avenged, was in a two-fold degree condemned." It was my intention, according to my usual custom, to have next proceeded to a deduction of consolation and utility from this subject ;-as my own sentiments are that a Minister cannot lawfully leave his people either in anger or alarm; for, whatever he may have said to reprove or to awaken, should be impressed with kindness and charity before they separate :-I was, then, about to proceed to this part of my discourse, when the attention of the whole congregation was turned to a Stranger who had fainted. I had before this, remarked his peculiarly solemn, but distressed demeanour; the tears stood in his eyes as I spake, but they seemed unable to flow downwards. His gaze was fixed intently upon me, while his mouth somewhat opened, appeared to drink in every word which I had uttered, yet with all this, he was evidently labouring under some dreadful remembrance; his breath heaved with violent gaspings, and the perspiration hung upon his dark and aged face, as if he stood condemned before all mankind. Indeed, he very much reminded me of the Hebrew Ahasuerus, whom Westphalus supposed to be the Wandering Jew, and who once appeared in an Holsatian Church during sermon, in a wretched dress, beating upon his breast, and sighing heavily. The confusion which such a circumstance would excite in a country ParishChurch may be well conceived; almost every eye was turned towards the stranger, but a few anxiously sought mine, to learn what should be done at such a crisis. Having directed that he should be carried to my own home, and carefully attended to, I put an early conclusion to the service, for the moment that men's curiosity is awakened their religious thoughts are scattered; and, in common with all my hearers, I felt a considerable desire to know something more of the sorrows of this unhappy stranger. Upon my return to the Parsonage, I found my guest, who had refused all refreshment, -seated in the posture of calm despondency, with his hands clasped and resting on his knees, and his face, marked with all the characters of grief and agony, looking downwards. By his side was a large antiquely-carved oaken chest, secured with grotesque iron bands, hasps, and an immense lock, upon which he frequently cast a watchful and an anxious glance; and then, as if the very sight of it renewed all the horrors of his mind, turned shudderingly away, covered his eyes with his hands, and after a while sank again into his former sullenness and melancholy. When I entered the room, he did not at first perceive me, but as Í drew near to him, and was about to address him, he started up, then threw himself in agony across the chest, turned upon me a frantic and furious glance, which gave an almost demoniacal expression to his features, and in a foreign toned, harsh, and agitated voice; he cried, while he convulsively grasped the box,-"No, no, no! you shall not search it, nor tear it from me but with my life; and you cannot force me to accuse myself; Santo Ignacio, no !-the Inquisition themselves would not condemn me for the deed!" 66 My unhappy brother," said I, "console yourself, and believe that both you and your possessions, whatever they be, are in perfect safety in the dwelling of Cephas Godwin, a Minister of the Protestant Church, as you have already seen. It is true, I am called upon by my sacred office, to denounce the vengeance of Heaven against sinners, but then it is against such only as treat it's gospel and its commands alike with scorn-such as have neither fear, nor belief, nor repentance, nor even the human feeling of remorse. Now I can well trust that some of these are in your bosom, and it shall be my care to fill it with all the purer and better sensations, which even angels delight to wit A Aye," replied the stranger hastily, with a sarcastic and hollow laugh, "but then you will say that I must first confess, that my inward sins must first be probed, that I must be put to open penance in this world, in order to avoid the more dreadful condemnation of the next!-Oh! no, no, no! death rather than that:-Santo Jeronymo! how could I tell of "Not so,"; I returned "" our Church does not enjoin auricular confession; it recommends only that if one have committed a deadly crime, which lies so heavily upon his soul that it would re.ieve him to relate it, or if he have greatly injured any fellow creature, to whom he may yet make atonement by speaking of his sins,-then does it command it's Ministers to receive such declarations with sympathy, pity, secrecy, and absolution, to endeavour earnestly to right the wrong, ana to set the unburthened Christian traveller, leaping with joy, on his road homewards." "I do not," said the stranger, gazing intently upon me, "I do not behold your visage glowing like the sun, nor are you habited in a celestial vestment, nor do you bear the golden triumphant palm of heaven;-I do not see in your face and form aught that is beyond the kind features of humanity and religion;-but your words are the words of an angel. You are indeed fitted to speak the gospel to man, for with you it is in truth the sound of good tidings-But for me, I am stained with all that virtuous men must in common execrate !-I have a deadly sin upon my soul which presses upon it more heavily than that massive oaken chest, which I have borne by night, and by day, by sea and by land, for more than sixty years, ever did upon my body. I have deeply injured a fellow-creature ; one of the most exalted rank and the most estimable piety, whom it was the duty of all faithfully to serve :-but it is past, and the dead have no feeling.' As he concluded, the gentler sensations which my last words had excited, seemed to be again swallowed up in his former sullenness; and I was therefore about to leave the room to order for him another chamber, when I said,-"Quiet yourself, my unhappy brother, at least for the present; whoever you may be, and whatever have been your crimes I know not, but in this dwelling you are safe. Your sleep shall not be watched, that the involuntary words then often uttered by the tongue, may be brought against you ;—your property shall remain near your couch inviolate ;-for trust me, if I knew you to be a murderer, and that chest to contain the evidences of your guilt, I would not open it for worlds!" "Madre del nuestro Senor!" said the stranger, starting to his feet," and how came you to know that?-you are not a Roman priest, you do not pretend to miraculous visions and revelations, yet by a few forcible words you lay open my soul as truly, as if I had shewn you all her feelings in the most faithful confession. Well might you say, that your Church enjoins it not; where her pastors are so gifted with the knowledge of humanity she requires it not. I have been excommunicated and anathematized by the ecclesiastics of my own nation, but their heaviest curses never awakened my conscience like the brief exhortation I have heard from you." "Alas, my unfortunate friend," said I, so similar is the hand-writing of guilt 66 in the souls of all men, that when it's characters have been once read they are ever after known to us.-The human heart, with all it's disguises, possesses too much sameness ever to deceive those who have long studied it." "And are these terrific feelings to last for ever?" continued the stranger, as if musing aloud; "and cannot any repentance wash them away? or, are they but the forerunners of others still more awful? the pangs of condemned spirits adapted to the finite powers and capacities of men ?" "No, no," returnel I, " you are in error, it cannot be; for he that truly repenteth is no longer covered with sin, the very act performed in full faith is sufficient to put it away. And why deem that your conscience has been wounded by my words? Why bow down thine head before me like a bullrush? Stand up, for I also am a man!' The truth and power of my ministry were imparted, not inherent; and if perchance the descriptions were vivid, and the denunciations awful, remember, that to such as have not sinned, the path of crime cannot be made too terrible; it cannot be guarded with too great security. To such as unhappily have trodden it, they have proved it for themselves, and it remains only to lead them gently back again." "The same,-the same throughout," cried the stranger;" and now can'st thou tell me, Oh! friendly shepherd of men! what day of the year we have arrived at?" "To-morrow," said I, "will be the anniversary of the martyrdom of a royal and a blesed victim-it will be the thirtieth of January." "Most true, most true, I should have known it. To-morrow, then, my nativity will be fulfilled, and I must prepare to speak of that which hath been; for unto thee, thou beneficent pastor, my crimes and my life shall be made known. Do not deny me thy prayers." 66 They have been thine already, and now prepare to take some food and rest in thy chamber. Peace be with thee, my erring brother, and doubt not for a moment of thy perfect safety." The stranger answered not, but with great difficulty raised the chest, which appeared to be of considerable weight to his shoulders, refusing my offered assistance; and then making a sign for me to lead the way. he followed slowly, bending under his age and his burthen, into another apartment. (To be Continued.) JERUSALEM DELIVERED. THE SUBJECT OF THE ILLUSTRATION Represents the Soldan Solyman when on his way to Gaza, whilst flying from the Christians, who had been victorious over the Pagans in a battle fought with his party; spent with toil, and faint with the excessive heat, and the pain of his wounds, aroused from a slumber he had fallen into beneath a palm tree, in a retired part the country, by the voice of Ismeno, a powerful magician, who stands before him and persuades his immediate return to Jerusalem. He swath'd his wounds: a palm-tree near him stood food!) From this he shook the fruit; (his homely His hunger thus appeas'd, the ground he press'd, And sought to ease his limbs with needful rest; On his hard shield his pensive head reclin'd, And all the world in peaceful silence lay, eyes, While uninterr'd each lov'd associate lies? Here, where thy fame has felt the hostile A sire, of reverend mien, who near him stood: Dispel soft slumber from the traveller's eyes? with an account of the agricultural state of the republic. The whole of which pleasing detail may be viewed for its intelligence, as calculated to throw considerable light upon a very interesting country. ACCOUNT OF THE CREOLES OF MEXICO. The Creoles, or descendants of Europeans, are by their circumstances, the most eminent persons in New Spain, and, with the exception of those engaged in active commerce, are an indolent, overbearing, haughty race, who, with the ignorance which the barbarous policy of Spain has entailed upon them, have preserved also the most profound contempt for every one without their own particufor the poor despised Indians: and in fact lar pale. They are, with some bright and I could enumerate with the greatest pleagifted exceptions (whom, were it proper, sure), the least estimable people in the country; although, from the influx of strangers and intercourse with the old world generally, there is every reason to expect and hope for a material improvement. The establishment of schools will accomplish much towards this; but above all, the improvement and softening of manners will be proportioned to the proper estimation in which the women are held and I am happy to say that they begin to assume their proper station in society. Smoking, gaming, and the want of proper attention to personal cleanliness, will soon disappear; and with a little humility (for there are few people in the world who have a better opinion of themselves), the Mexican gentry of the present day may very speedily take intellectual precedence of their ancestors. As to their dress the rich picturesque costumes of both sexes are rapidly giving place to European fashions. THE RANCHEROS OR VAQUEROS. Who are a mixed race of Creole and Indian blood, may be considered as the yeomen of the country, and live in the extensive cattle-plains, or in the cultivated yet retired districts, content in their cabin of mud or stakes,-lively, brave, good-tempered, profoundly ignorant, and careless of every thing beyond their immediate occupations. There is an independence and fearlessness of manner in the legitimate Ranchero which is very imposing and pleasing; and as he sallies forth in the gray of the morning to review his herds of cattle, on his active little horse, and cased in his short leather jacket and boots, with the ready lasso at his saddle-bow, he presents the most pleasing picture of health and hap 198 piness. His frame is generally light, ac tive, and sinewy*; and the poorness of bis diet on Tortillas and an occasional lump of Tasajo or sun-dried beef, maintains him in a state of body capable of enduring great fatigue. His chief fault is a propensity to get very tipsy, whenever it is in his power, but he is generally good-humoured; and the murderous broils so frequent in the towns, are rarely heard of in the Ranchos or Haciendas. The wives and daughters of this class of people live a most retired life; and there is little variety in their occupations of grinding maize and making Tortillas, spinning and sometimes weaving; except on Sundays and religious festivals, when, attired in their gayest clothes, they walk, or are conveyed on the some horses with the men of the family, to the nearest church village, where having heard mass and purchased all which they required at the market, they join in the crowded and monotinous fandango, peculiar to the country, and which frequently continues all night. The female costuine consists of a white shirt with short sleeves, and petticoats very full below, thickly plaited above, which are tied tight immediately over the the hips. In this article of dress the most gaudy colours are preferred, and even richly worked muslin and gaudy French silks have here and there found their way into the most retired parts of the country. They all use a kind of shawl or Reboso, which is invariably worn over the head, and covers the bust and shoulders. A passion for gaudy coloured shoes, which contrast oddly with the nut-brown ankles, is universal with old and young on great occasions: and I have seen whole bevies of girls trudging barefoot to the merry-makings, and carrying their skyblue or yellow shoes in their hands. THE ARRIEROS OR MULETEERS. This race are an offset from the Rancheros; but their mode of life is very peculiar and enduring; since, in their constant journeyings, whether they travel in the burning low lands, or in the most elevated, cold, and misty regions of the great Cordillera, they rarely sleep under a roof; but, having cooked their very frugal meal near the cargo in their charge they lie down amidst their mules' equipage, sheltered from the rain by a piece of coarse Petate or sacking. The mules meanwhile are sent out to pasture under the care of one of the party, who attends them throughout the night; and at daybreak half a dozen Arrieros will commence, and in two hours saddle and Some of the Vaqueros are as tall and mus. cular as our Yorkshiremen. securely load fifty or sixty of these useful I have always found them to be civil, nay courteous, obliging, cheerful, and perfectly honest; and their character in this latter respect, may be estimated by the knowledge of the fact, that thousands and even millions of dollars have frequently been coufided to their charge, which they in many instances have defended, at the hazard of their lives, against those bands of robbers which the local government have now succeeded in dispersing. THE MEXICAN INDIANS. The last on the list of society are the poor Indians,—a mild, enduring, and despised race of people, who with care are capable of receiving the best impressions. The memory of their former free state seems stamped upon their serious countenances; and when excited during the revolutionary war, their courage, passions and devotedness were very remarkable: as, under the guidance of their priests, they took up arms against their ancient oppressors. They for the most part lead a pastoral and retired life, cultivating the fruits of the mighty Barrancae, or assembling in little villages, where they manufacture cloth and various articles of earthenware, and rear poultry for the markets. They have preserved their race unmixed with Spanish blood, and but few even speak the Spanish language. In their commerce with the towns they are always to be seen in groups! and I do not ever remember to have seen a pure Indian walking with a white man. They differ somewhat in costume in each particular State; but the general habit is a short tunic, of dark brown or blue woollen confined round the waist, with breeches of the same material;-a profusion of thick black hair spreads itself over the neck and shoulders. All wear black or straw hats; but few of them make use of shoes, supplying their place by a rude The women wear the kind of sandal. same coloured woollens as the men; but generally use a white shirt, fancifully ornamented round the neck with a border of coloured worsted, and a short kind of cloak, which, unlike that of the Creole females, is worn over the shoulders. The hair is usually divided into two large and long pigtails, having red or other coloured worsted interwoven with them, and the ends are frequently joined in a bow, so as to hang over the loins: some wear these tresses tightly bound round the head, which has a good effect, heightened occasionally by the addttion of some simple wild flower. The intellect of the Indians has never hitherto been fairly tried, but great docility to their instructors might be expected; as they look up with particular veneration to their priests, who sway them unboundedly by that religion which was introduced after the Conquest, and so modified to their prejudices and intellects as to resemble in many respects, as far as the blind worship of uncouth images is concerned the idolatry of their ancestors. THE MEXICAN LAWS. During the eventful scenes of a protracted revolutionary war, law and justice gave place to the dictates of the various leaders of the prevailing parties; and almost all trace of that distributive justice which was strictly attended to by the Spaniards, had disappeared when Mexico found itself free. The early congresses of the Republicans speedily discovered the tottering situation in which the nation still remained, and edicts were passed that the different States, now "free and sovereign," (libre y soberano), should form their own laws, for domestic safety, and to repress the wild disorganized manners which now prevailed. Each Senate, therefore, drew up a code of law, rather, in most instances, according to the feelings of the framers, than adapted to the temper and character of the people of the State which they directed. In many the penal code was so arranged that the graver crimes received the lightest punishments; in others,-Jalisco, for instance, -it was said to be founded on the penal code of England, and in this State, trial by jury was instituted. Little advantage, however, was derived from this measure, as bribery to some members of this body, and the ignorance of the others, usually swayed their decisions, and justice was rarely dispensed. The priests are usually too ignorant or too indolent to give any kind of education to their young parishioners; and a child which can repeat the ordinanzas of the church, and quantities of oriscns to the most popular saint, by rote like a parrot, is considered as being highly gifted. There is a marked difference in regard to moral conduct between the dwellers in cities and the agricultural or pastural people,-very much in favour of the latter. The poor industrions peasant, living amongst his mighty mountains, or tending the immense herds of cattle on the plains, possesses many excellent qualities, and is degraded by but few vices; while the white Creole of Mexico is the least estimable, in every respect, of the inhabitants of New Spain. The marriages amongst all classes, but particularly those of the poorer orders, are contracted at an early age; yet I rarely saw such large families of children as are to be met with in Europe. The duration of life is about the same as with us; and although at a much earlier period the persons of both sexes bear deep impressions of age, they are generally healthy, and enjoy life free from many of those complaints to which Europeans are subjected in their declining years. Rheumatism is the chief scourge of the old, agues of the middle-aged; but on the whole, the labouring classes of Mexico may be considered as a very healthy race. THE AMUSEMENTS OF THE MEXICANS. The Mexican Spaniard is lively and fond of amusement. Religious festivals and fire-works are his delight; and the dances, although very ungraceful compaed with those of the mother-country, are always well attended. The love of this amusement is more general amongst the peasantry, who frequently dance throughout the night, with a regard to order and decency which is very praise-worthy. Their musical instruments are small guitars, fiddles, and harps, of their own making; and singing usually accompanies the favourite fandango tunes of the Xarabe. The amusements of the children are as amongst us, but as they grow up, the love of play is instilled into them by the example of their parents, and soon forms one of the most important and favourite occupations of their lives in fact, gaming, smoking cigars, and riding on horseback in the Paséo, are the chief occupations of the men. AGRICULTURE AND PRICE OF LABOUR. Of those States through which I travelled, Guadalaxara and Valladolid, with the western boundaries of the State of |