to alter our laws so as to allow honorary members to vote and hold office in the Lodge. Such a privilege-if a privilege it may be called-would be a poor compensation for those more important advantages of which they are deprived. But to alter the law, which your worthy correspondent has alluded to, will be impracticable, inasmuch as its influence is not confined to members of that description whose cause he more particularly advocates in his last letter, but is found to act well in the Order for the purpose for which it was originally intended. If there are any members, either in the Viscount Milton, or any other Lodge in the Order, who are labouring under any disabilities which they ought not to do, I should be very sorry indeed if anything should emanate from me which would serve as an impediment to the removal of those dissatisfactions. If a proviso could be made to the 52nd Law to remove those grievances that the senior members of such Lodges complain of, and such proviso can be adopted without injury to the well-being of the Order, I am sure that the A. M. C., whose prerogative it is to allow it, would not refuse; but I trust that the 52nd General Law, and also the 117th of Kendal, (except in such cases,) will remain unaltered.

PEACE.

Thou dwell'st not with the proud in heart,
Vain gaudy splendour suits not thee;
But where Contentment forms a part
Of humble life's felicity.

Thou dwell'st not 'neath the lordly dome,
Nor dost thou in a palace reign;
But makes the lowly roof thy home,
Blest maiden of the rural train!

For ah! without thy aid benign,

How fraught with strife this world would be;
The peasant, meek-ey'd Peace divine,

Is happy if possessing thee.

I've seen thee with the homely clad,
Blessing the toil-worn hind's increase;

His mind at ease, his feelings glad,

Grac'd with Contentment, Love, and PEACE!

GEORGE RICHARDSON.

September, 1836.

THE MEN OF DECENCIES.

-Many, I believe, there are
Who live a life of virtuous decency-
Men who can hear the decalogue and feel
No self-reproach; who of the moral law,
Established in the land where they abide,
Are strict observers; and not negligent

In acts of love, those with whom they dwell,
Their kindred, and the children of thelr blood.
Praise be to such, and to their slumbers peace!
But of the poor man ask-the abject poor-—
Go and demand of him, if there be here,
In this cold abstinence from evil deeds,

And these inevitable charities,

Wherewith to satisfy the human soul?

No!-Man is dear to man; the poorest poor
Long for some moments in a weary life,

When they can know and feel that they have been
Themselves the fathers and the dealers-out

Of some small blessings-have been kind to such
As needed kindness-for this single cause,

That we have all of us one heart;

Such pleasu.e is to one kind Being known.

WORDSWORTH.

On reading the Tablet placed in Saint John's Church, Manchester, to the Memory of THE REV. JOHN CLOWES, M. A.,

RECTOR OF THAT CHURCH.

Whoe'er thou art, with rev'rence tread
The sacred mansions of the dead;

Not that the monumental Bust,

Or sumptuous tomb HERE guards the dust

Of rich or great; let wealth, rank or worth,
Lie undistinguished in the earth.

Oh reader if ever genius, taste refined,

Or native eloquence of mind,

The clearest head, the kindest heart,

Of thy esteem e'er claim'd a part,

Oh! to his memory shed a tear,

For know that CLOWES lies buried here.

Duke of Sussex Lodge, Manchester, 1837.

LETTERS FROM A RAMBLER.

BY GEO. P. JENNINGS, OF THE CUMBERLAND Lodge.

No. 5.

DEAR L

Guernsey, August, 183-.

DURING my stay in this place I have made several excursions to the small islands mentioned in my last, and which are situated at a convenient distance for being visited by parties of pleasure or research, actuated either by a desire to obtain information relative to their history, and the social condition of their inhabitants, or by the more common impulse of curiosity. I shall not pause to define by which of these motives your rambler was guided, but beg you will assume the best. Our party, on these occasions, consisted of five or six gentlemen, and our voyage was performed in a pleasure-boat, belonging to a friend in Guernsey, of a sufficient size to insure safety in the heavy swell frequent in this part of the channel. The nearest of these islands is HERME-or, as it is generally pronounced, HARME-lying about four miles north-east of St. Peters. It happening to be low water when we landed, we had to climb over an immense quantity of shingle and rock, after which a steep winding road leads up from the shore. The place itself is small and insignificant, but has some peculiarities to render it worth a visit. It is about four miles in circumference, and contains a very small number of inhabitants: a good deal of corn is grown, though much land is at present covered with furze. But the principal trade— if it can be so called-of the island is in stone, of which there are several quarries now being worked: a small harbour has been constructed near the quarries for the convenience of shipping the stone, and great quantities are occasionally sent off. The proprietor of the island has a good house near the centre where he constantly resides, and the only other dwellings consist of a few houses and cottages inhabited by the agricultural labourers and quarrymen-the society of Herme is therefore, as youmay suppose, peculiarly select, and routes and balls are of rare occurrence. The field sports consist of shooting rabbits and wild fowl, of which some parts of the island abound. There is also in the season good mackerel fishing, and many visitors appear to derive much amusement from dabbling among the rocks in pursuit of a few shrimpsbut every one to his mind.

After perambulating about one-half of the island we arrived at the place which is the greatest attraction in Herme-its shell beach. This beach extends along the foot of the cliffs for about half a mile, presenting a beautiful smooth surface, completely different to the shore on the other side where we had landed. The attractions of this place are two-fold: first, the shells of which it is composed; and secondly, the excellent natural dining rooms formed by recesses in the cliffs-no small recommendation to pic-nic visitors. We soon availed ourselves of this advantage, and forthwith proceeded to discuss the contents of our knapsack; for though Nature has bountifully provided plenty of room for dining, she has not furnished a larder—nor has the hand of man improved upon her work-as the visitor would find to his cost, were he to depend upon the Herme Hotel for his dinner. While we were thus engaged a venerable gull, whose size and plumage "bespoke his lengthened years," very quietly perched on the cliff within a few yards of us, waiting to dispose of any fragments we might VOL. 4-No. 6-2 M.

leave, with an air of composure and assurance which plainly indicated how well accustomed he was to visitors. This beach is composed entirely of shells, unmixed with either sand or stones ;-dig as long as you will, and as deep as you will, there is nothing but shells. At a moderate estimate, many hundred tons might be taken away within the space of half a mile. There are numerous varieties to be found here: some most minutely small; and immense quantities of fragments of broken shells of the larger kinds. I do not suppose there are many that are reckoned valuable by conchologists, but, as far as regards quantity, I believe this beach is without an equal in the world. It is a common thing for visitors to fill a basket from the mass, and afterwards pick out the perfect shells. Here are also frequently found rare specimens of lobsters, crabs, &c., as well as coral and other submarine productions.

Having sufficiently satisfied our curiosity by a ramble of a few hours, we reembarked, and, before returning to Guernsey, sailed round the little islet of JEthou, a near neighbour to Herme, being separated from it by a channel only a few score yards across. It is about a mile and a half in circumference, and rises high out of the water. With the exception of an orchard the island is almost entirely a rabbit-warren; and the only habitation on it is the house of the proprietor, who, strange to say, makes it his constant residence, seldom leaving it, and then for no long period. There is but one landing place, and there a board is erected threatening prosecution to all trespassers! The place did not, however, offer any inducement for us to intrude on the owner's privacy.

The island of SERK (or SARK) is another favourite excursion, and presents a much wider field for observation. It is, in fact, one of the most interesting spots the tourist can visit-quite different to anything and everything else.

Serk is situated about ten miles south-east of Guernsey, and as our little bark danced over the waves, the appearance presented to us was that of a high rugged wall of rock, rising perpendicularly from the sea to a great height, and forming at the top a large extent of table land: upon a near approach the prospect is not much improved ; and even when the landing place is reached, a stranger, unaccustomed to scaling walls or climbing spires, must not be too confident of attaining the summit: he will in vain look for a road, a foot-path, or even a ladder to assist him in his ascent, but must lay hold of a rope, dangling down the rock-he may please himself respecting holding fast-and he will then find sundry notches in the rock, by the aid of which he will reach a ledge about the height of forty feet: his path is then rather easier, but he must scramble near three hundred feet before he finds himself on the summit. You must not, however, suppose that this is the only entrance to the island: there is a small harbour on the opposite side, but it being on the side furthest from Guernsey most parties prefer scaling the rocks to the increased length of the voyage.

Well then the rambler is at last safe on terra firma, and he soon finds that Serk is not as the appearance from the sea would induce him to think-a continued plain, but beautifully diversified by hill and valley, little rivulets wending their way through them, and heavy crops of corn waving in the wind; numerous cottages are scattered among the trees; and the ivy and wild honeysuckle, joined with the warbling of numerous feathered songsters, render the scene beautiful and pleasing-such an one as might have inspired the Bard of Lancashire,* (and of Nature too,) when he sung

"The trees are adorned with spicy buds,
Like scattered gems on the sun-bright woods;
Whilst down in the dell doth the rindle spring,
Glimmering dimly and murmuring;

Where the pebbles are dark and waters clear,
As a sloe-black eye and a pearly tear."

The inhabitants of Serk amount to about six hundred, the majority of whom are employed in the united avocations of farming and fishing. The farms are so smallthe largest not exceeding twenty English acres-that they do not afford sufficient employment for the occupier and his family. The soil is extremely fertile-but still the Serkmen seem always to prefer the net to the plough. These men will often venture

*Samuel Bamford, of Middleton.

over to France with the produce of their fields or orchards, in a boat of their own construction, scarcely 20 feet in length. The natural result of such a life as this is, that they are a robust, hardy race; and, what is greatly to their own credit, a very temperate people, though spirits may be purchased at less than one-fourth the English price.

A strange law, respecting the holding of property, exists in Serk. All the landwith the exception of one portion-is held by copyhold. There are just forty of these copyholds, and the owner has not the power of ever dividing it: if he chooses to sell, he must sell the whole, and one-thirteenth of the purchase money is claimed by the Lord of the Manor: in case of his death also the whole goes to the eldest son; or, if no son, to the nearest heir; and all buildings, &c. erected on the estate must go with it. The effect of this law is to check improvement in building, for which reason it is a rare thing to see a new house, and also to prevent any considerable increase of population, as the younger sons of the farmer are generally compelled to leave the island, and seek a livelihood elsewhere.

The government of Serk is vested in an officer under the government of Guernsey, called the seigneur, and all local enactments are passed by the owners of the forty copy-holds beforenamed, who assemble three or four times a year; by them all rates and taxes are levied, and Serk is not affected by any enactments of the other islands. The militia is about one hundred strong, and government also provides a small train of artillery. There is one church, built in 1820, a neat building, the salary of the minister is about £80. per annum, and a house; a free school is also established, and is well attended.

The coast of Serk presents some fine rock scenery, but it is a matter of much difficulty and some danger to reach the points where it is seen to the best advantage; there are also numerous caves, called by the natives boutiques, most of which have communications with the sea; some extend, by several different passages, to a great length, so that the visitor should be cautious in his intrusion, or he may be shut in by tide, and perchance discover, when too late, that he has trodden a path he will never again retread.

At one extremity of the island is a small part detached from the main land, with the exception of a neck or isthmus, nearly 200 yards long, and only four or five feet broad, while on either side is a rugged and almost perpendicular precipice, of near 300 feet to the sea; this division is called "Little Serk," and access to it can only be obtained by going over this connecting ridge. I have been informed of the following anecdote, but do not vouch for its authenticity :-A person resident in Little Serk, used frequently to visit the other part of the island, and before returning was in habit of making sundry libations to the presiding deity of the vine and barrel; the effect of which was the rendering him so pendulum-like in his movements, as to make the passage of this ridge by no means prudent: but the jolly god used not, as he too frequently does, to desert his votary in his utmost need, but inspired him with the idea of ascertaining whether or no he was sufficiently compos to make the attempt in safety; and this was the test-a cannon had been planted at the junction of the ridge with the main land, upon this cannon the tippler used to mount, and if he could walk upon it from end to end, he concluded he was steady enough to venture across, but if he failed, he lay down in the heath till sleep had restored him to a condition to make a more successful experiment.

The climate of Serk is peculiarly salubrious, many persons are found living to an extreme age, and the general average of life is longer than the usual period; you may perhaps be surprised when I tell you that there is not a medical practitioner in the island, but such is the case. There are one or two tooth-drawers, bleeders, and so forth, but for any higher branch of medicine, advice must be procured from Guernsey; and in the years 1816 and 1820, there was not a single death on the island; this could not be from an excess of physic-if from the paucity of it, I shall not now inquire.

The island of ALDERNEY is the last on my visiting list; it is distant from Guernsey about forty miles, and within a few miles from the coast of France. The passage to Alderney is the most difficult navigation in the channel; besides innumerable rocks and shoals, there are two impetuous currents, one called the race, on the south side of the