THIRST FOR GOLD.

A TRUE STORY.

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THE love of gold! who amongst us is altogether free from its influence? Some value it chiefly as being a talent which they must seek to use aright, and for which they shall hereafter have to give an account. Happy are they who so use the "unrighteous mammon" that it bring down a blessing, not a curse upon their heads. Some love it as being the means of power, of luxury, of worldly in fluence; let them beware of the glittering snare which is ready to entangle their souls, and draw them down into a pit of destruction.

Some there are, strange to say, who love gold for its own sordid sake, without the expectation of any pleasure or advantage to be gained by it; these are the veriest idolators of mammon, and they may be found alike in the hovel and the palace; for a beggar may grasp his paltry earnings with the same avidity as the millionnaire his gold.

During a recent visit to the sister isle, a remarkable illustration of this truth came to our knowledge, which we are now about to present to our readers. We were visiting a friend in the far west, who knowing our love of antiquities, kindly directed our attention to various objects of interest in his neighbourhood. Amongst other spots, associated with the memory of bygone times, he brought us to visit a ruined abbey, whose crumbling walls are now overshadowed by groups of venerable trees, amongst whose outspread roots lie the graves of former generations. This being regarded as a peculiarly sacred spot, it is ever an object of anxiety with the country people to obtain a burial place within the precincts of the abbey yard, which is, consequently, so thronged with grassy mounds, that one can scarcely glance around, without exclaiming with the poet

"How populous, how vital, is the grave!" While gazing with interest at the scene before us, our guide observed to us, that many years before, he had chanced to be present here at a funeral which, although that of a very poor woman, excited a great

stir in the neighbourhood, on accom some extraordinary circumstances nected with the closing days of her

"It was," continued he, "sonewh near the spot on which we are now ste ing, that Honor Delany was buried, love of gold and of its tyrannical po her story is so illustrative of the absor

over the human heart, when once it gained admission there, that I will, if please, relate her history to you." gladly seconded this proposal, and sea

ourselves beneath an ivied arch, liste to the following narrative.

"From twenty to thirty years there dwelt in this parish a poor woman, named Honor Delany; her husb was dead, and most of her children w settled in the world, so that her only maining stay was her youngest son A who was remarked amongst the neigh as being a most industrious lad, and a good son.

As Honor advanced in y

she became extremely anxious, as is the case with aged Irishwoman, al securing money enough before her de to pay for a "dacent burial." In her however, this desire seemed to be a of monomania, for in her anxiety to every available penny out of her s earnings as a flax-spinner, she grudged herself even a simple mea potatoes. Vainly did her son remonst with her on the subject, and beg of he "make her mind aisy," as he would care she had "a fine wake, and a da burial too."

like of

"It's mighty aisy to promise," 66 but how can Honor's usual reply; you ever save enough to bury mother with credit to the family?" As and again did Alick remonstrate, again and again did he receive the s incredulous reply. The poor fellow m no rejoinder; but, bent upon satisf his mother's wishes, he saved every pe he could spare out of his wages, and in course of time, came to tell her that desire was accomplished, for he had a sufficient sum of money to "give handsome wake and a fine burial w ever it might please God Almighty take her to himself." After praising for his dutiful conduct, "and is it

so recently been laid. Alick's curiosity having been thus excited, he quickly returned to the grave, and on looking in perceived that the earth had been stirred in one of its corners and had been beaten and smoothed down again, as if with the palm of the hand. He dug up the spot, and great was his astonishment on finding ten golden guineas carefully wrapped up in a rag, and concealed beneath the earth. Poor Alick was no less wounded by his mother's conduct, than surprised to find that such a treasure could have been amassed by her. Taking the gold in his hand, he hastened home. With a beating heart, he approached his parent's couch and found there only a cold and lifeless body! her feeble vital powers had been exhausted by the insane attempt to carry her idolized treasure with her to the tomb, and she had entered that unseen world, where gold avails not to purchase peace or joy, and where the soul must appear alone, to answer for the deeds done in the body.

he, "that I saw Honor Delany laidi last earthly home; and though m year has passed away since then, never look upon the spot without ing how insidious and how tyrann the love of money; and how we watch and pray against the grov this hidden tendency within our lest, as was the case with her, its ty should in one form or other, pursu the very grave. The poet says tra

"He only who has ceas'd to hoard, Has learn'd to live."

THE HINDOO WIDOW. THE following incident relate Munshi Lutfullah-Khan a Mohamu gentleman, in his interesting autob phy, may instruct us that the Hin not less sternly wedded to his ow ligious rites than the Mohammedan

"While on a journey with Lieu Earle, we were informed that a sati was going to be performed that foren The news startled my young friend the village of Maholí, near the rive as myself. We could not believe tha an outrage could be committed with nity whilst a British Resident ret near the capital. We had hardly f our conversation on the subject, wh

It was a miserable moment for poor Alick, who was a loving, as well as a dutiful son; however, he soon persuaded himself that her mind must have been wandering, and that she was, consequently, an unaccountable being. He fulfilled his promise of having "a hand-descried the ominous procession, at some wake and a fine burial" for her; and the noise of her living visit to the grave with its attendant discovery having got abroad with many marvellous additions, brought a great concourse to old Honor's funeral, so that the Abbey yard was thronged with people.

Alick is still alive, and is as contented and happy as a good son deserves to be. He is the father of a numerous family, who will, I hope, yield to him the same love and obedience that he did to a far less worthy parent; for under our Christian dispensation, no less than under the Jewish one, the fifth commandment, "Honour thy father and thy mother," is still the first commandment with a promise." So saying, our friend rose up from the aged stump of an oak, on which he had been seated, and advancing towards a spot where the green mounds lay thickly together "It was somewhere here," said

with native music passing from the along the high road close to the Resi rode to the place of execution, whi gate. Upon this, we ran to our hors reached in about half an hour in the the sun. Another scholar of mine, by Dr. M. F. Kay, having heard of th news, presented himself on the spot i diately after us. After waiting ab quarter of an hour under an umbra pípal tree on the bank of the river, the cession arrived and the Brahman ca placed the bier at the brink of the wat as to keep the feet of the corpse washe that element. The face and hands dead being exposed to view, we found deceased to have been a strong wellof Ha Brahman, about forty years examined the dead man, we proceede the young lady, who seated herself another pípal tree, at a little distance wi self on the pile under preparation near sight of the corpse, ready to immolate dead body. She was surrounded by relatives and others, about twenty per

age.

er. To these she kept on talking telling many things, on being ind. She was handsome, about ars of age, and her charming counshowed no marks of fear or anguish. int Earle, being an excellent MaPholar, finding an opportunity, into conversation with her, and dea very eloquent speech, dissuading t earnestly from this horrid suicide, e said he viewed in the light of a urder committed by the Brahmans, vil advice, contrary to the pure w, enticed her to a death of torture worlds. To this her reply was but ne. You may say what you please, go with my lord. It was written ook of my fate to be his wife, so I his wife only, to the full extent of ring, and that of nobody else. I only, and can never love any one that primary sincerity, so I must e companion wherever he goes. no more trouble, sir, about the Peace be with you.' Lieutenant at the suggestion of Dr. Kay and egged her to listen to him for 10ment, so she turned to him, and robserved as follows: My good consider over the act once more; gainst your reason; you must be we are your friends and not your that we would save you from the ath by all means at a slight signal nsent, and would make an honourision for you during your life.' dded, 'You should try the experiburning your little finger before ng your whole precious body to the But, alas! her fanaticism had too far beyond the reach of this wholesome advice; and with a smile she told Mr. Earle that she ly obliged to him for his kindness, she did not stand in need; that was one and unalterable. She Adly tearing up a slip of her handdipped it into the oil of the lamp (usually placed before satís day or night), and tying it round le finger, she lighted it up with 8, and it burnt on like a candle for We suppose no sane person will deny while, and then diffused the smell of our right as Englishmen to strive in flesh, during which the young every fair and manly way to stay these talked on to the audience, without a Bob to indicate the pain; yet the terrible immolations. But we presume, of the blood's rush to the face, after recent and present events, no sane d with a profuse perspiration on her person will think us justified in interbetrayed her feeling to our unbiassed fering with these sacred prepossessions rrowful minds. The fit of this enthu- otherwise than by persuasion and the frenzy is aided and maintained, I gentle violence of reason.

believe, by the effect of some narcotics, particularly of camphor, a large quantity of which is administered by the hard-hearted Brahmans to the poor victims, which is swallowed up by them immediately after they have uttered their intention of selfdestruction in the sudden impulse of grief at their bereavement. The effect soon spreads over the nervous system, stupefaction ensues, and the whole body is benumbed before it goes to the fire to be consumed. The pile now being ready, the corpse was washed and laid inside, and about half a pound of camphor in a bundle tied round the neck of the damsel; she got up with her usual alacrity, invoking her gods, and rushed to the fatal spot in the same way as a moth to the flame. She then walked round the pile seven times, and having entered it, she placed the head of her dear husband in her lap, and herself holding a burning wick between the big and second toes of her left foot, she set fire to the combustibles interwoven with the logs of fire-wood. Upon her entering, the Brahmans began to stop the entrance with heavy pieces of timber, when Dr. Kay, being much excited at the scene, could not keep silence any more. Though he knew very little or nothing of the language, he called out with as much fierceness as he could command, 'You scoundrels, this is not fair; darwáza mat kholó:' that is to say, 'do not open the door,' of course meaning the reverse. Such erroneous expressions of the good doctor, even at this tragical moment, produced a smile from most of the bystanders. Immediately the poor woman set fire to the pile, the Brahmans and others surrounding it began shouting out the name of their god, Rámá, and ordered the kettledrums, flageolets, and cymbals that accompanied the procession to be beaten and played, and rent the air with their cries, in order that no cry of distress might be heard from the victim; and as soon as the flames issued from all sides, they cut the ropes of the four corners of the platform of the pile with their hatchets, so the enormous weight of the firewood, falling at once upon the delicate girl, crushed her in a moment."