122. কাটা চালের দোয়ানে মরে না ৷

You may join (the two ends of) a divided thatch, but they unite not

closely.

Spoken of friends once separated, that do not again readily become cordial: a coolness almost always subsisting between such as have once been at disagreement.

123. সানকীর উপর বজ্রাঘাত ।

With a thunderbolt's force on an earthen dish!

In ridicule of disproportionate efforts, as of mighty preparation to accomplish a trifling result; also applied to overwhelming calamities befalling a humble individual, or over-harshness to a dependent.

124. পরের কা" হাল দিয়া বেঁধা যায় ।

Aye! Another's ear may be pierced with a plough-share ! Applied as a reproof of unfeeling and selfish indifference to the sufferings of others, while acutely sensible to, and cautious to avoid, pain or loss to one's self; self-love is ever united with harshness and cruelty.

Does one eat stone and all, when the plumb is sweet?

A reproof of over-covetousness, that induces to sordid acts; also of undue importunity for the favours of an obliging person.

126. দৈত্য কলে প্রহ্লাদ।

A Prahlad was born of a demon race.

The Daityas were Asuras or evil genii, the Titans of Hindu mythology: one of them named Hiranyakashipu, had four sons, Sanghlád, Anuhlád, Prahlád, and Ahlád. The third of these was, notwithstanding his descent, a devout and pious individual, and his rescue from the cruelty of his father, was the occasion of the man-lion avatár.

Applied to the case of an excellent person springing from a bad stock, which, though rare, does yet occasionally happen.

127. কাঁটা গাছে দিলে জল কণ্টক বৃদ্ধি হয় ৷

সর্পকে খাওয়ালে দুগ্ধ বিষ উগারয় ৷

You may water the briar, but its thorns increase ;

You may feed a snake with milk, but it spits up venom.

The reflection of one who meets with ungrateful returns for kindness from a bad man, in the baseness of whose nature benefits are lost. Said also to refuse or discourage a kindness to one who will certainly repay it with ingratitude or treachery.

128.

গাধাকে পরালে বাঘের ছাল ।

বাঘ থাকে না চিরকাল ।।

Would you clothe an ass in a tiger's hide?
The tiger, be sure, will not long abide.

A reflexion upon false pretences, insincere professions of friendship, or boast of courage, hypocritical assumption of sanctity, &c.

[To be concluded in our next.]

SIR,

VI. The Romanizing System in America.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

I notice in the April number of the Biblical Repository, published at Andover, Mass. the following paragraph relating to the application of the Roman character to the various dialects of the North American Indians. The fact which I wish you to notice is, that the system is precisely the same as that recently adopted for the East Indian languages. It has already been successfully introduced among several of those western tribes. Is it too much to be expected, that a system which has thus been adopted, almost simultaneously, and without previous concert, among the American tribes, at the Sandwich and Society Islands, and in India, and which, while it is found capable of readily expressing all these languages, is at the same time the classical alphabet of Europe, will soon become universal?

Sept. 24, 1835.

Your's, &c.
H.

In respect to the advantages of a uniform orthography in writing the Indian languages, Messrs. Kingsbury and Byington, after much experi ence, say: "We wish that all the Missionaries sent out by the Board might adopt a uniform orthography. Some languages have more consonant sounds than others, and different ones also, and some have more vowel sounds, and nasal sounds, and diphthongal sounds than others. Perhaps all your Missionaries among the Indians have adopted a uniform mode of writing. We think that it is entirely practicable, from our own experience. We have taken specimens of thirteen different languages or dialects, and have found no particular difficulty in writing the same with one alphabet. In some languages we find some sounds which we do not in others. We especially wish that all the vowel sounds might be uniformly written, and we would recommend, that Mr. Pickering's Essay be sent to the stations among the Indians, where it has not already been sent, and a copy or two of such Indian books as have been printed according to the general prin. ciples contained in his pamphlet. An instance has occurred, in which we felt the need of uniformity in writing the Indian languages.”"

* See Essay of the Honorable John Pickering on the adoption of a uniform orthography for the Indian languages of North America, inserted in the 4th volume, pp. 319-360 of the Memoirs of the American Academy. This learned scholar adopts, as the basis of his proposed Indian orthography, what we call the foreign sounds of the vowels; that is, the sounds which are usually given to them by those European nations with whom we have much intercourse by books or otherwise, and who, like ourselves, use the Roman alphabet in their own languages. Mr. P. proposes that the general pronunciation of the common letters of our alphabet should be as follows:

A as in the English, father.

B and D as in English, French, &c.

E as in there, short e as in met.

Fas in English.

G as in English, game.

H as an aspirate.

I as in marine, short i as in him.

K L M and N as in English.

O English long o as in robe, also short o.

P and R as in English.

S as in English at the beginning of a word.
Tas in English.

U both long and short, as English oo.

V as English and German w.

W and Z as in English.

Y as in English, yet.

The whole Essay of Mr. P. is very interesting.

VII-Original Correspondence between a Youth and his

MY DEAR MOTher,

Step-mother.

1.-Letter from the Youth.

I do not like to go without dropping one line to you, to tell you how sincerely and fervently I pray for your welfare and happiness. Indeed, I never before felt good wishes so much, so gratefully, as yours; which being unexpected, so much the more went to my heart. I have not indeed that grace of God you mentioned-for every thing loses its pleasurable aspect to my mind. I pass through the world listless, as without a soul; and I seek amusements, books, but to deliver me from the thraldom of my own thoughts. I wish to be happy, but am not; strive to become thoughtless, but am miserable. O! that I had the tranquillity produced by the love of Jesus Christ! My dear Mamma, thanks, many and sincere thanks, for your kind and affectionate wishes. Would that God would pity me and forgive my sins! When I left after parting from you, I wept bitterly; yet were my tears soothing. I do not often give way to my feelings; but the recollection of my own mother, as associated with you, struck me. My hopes are, that when looking up to you as a mother, you will sometimes think affectionately of your son,

MY DEAR F.

2.-Reply from his Step-mother.

F.

Your very affectionate note demanded an earlier reply, and indeed, I am afraid you have, perhaps, already indulged in unkind thoughts of my seeming neglect. But believe me, it is only seeming; for soon after your departure, a most important charge was delivered into my hands, which required my every attention, and engrossed all my time; and what was this charge, do you ask? nothing less than a soul of inestimable value, which will live for ever in raptures or in woe. Oh! when I think of my responsibility, I am at times overwhelmed. But I have encouragement in bringing my darlings to the Lord; here is comfort and help in every need. Has He given me children? He will, if I seek it, give me grace according to my day. May His influence then be seen in the judgment with which I controul them, and may I use every endeavour to bring them up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord!" But though my time has been thus fully occupied, my thoughts have often wandered towards you. Yes, believe me when I say, I am not unmindful of you. Ever since the period when the maternal appellation devolved upon me, have I taken a most lively interest in your welfare; and though circumstances have precluded an interchange of frequent and intimate correspondence, you have been much in my thoughts; and I had longed for an opportunity of having a personal interview with you, that I might know what were your feelings towards me, and whether I should find in you the kind and affectionate son. I must confess, your manner was doubtful; and that naturally threw a restraint over me, and made me appear more reserved than I should otherwise have been. Under such circumstances, need I say, with what pleasure and satisfaction I perused your note, which told me at once of your filial regard, and gave me the strongest proof of it in the unreserved exposure to me of your heart's most secret workings; and since you have made me, as it were, your confidante, on the most important of all subjects, I will be as open in my communications to you, and trust this interchange of our thoughts may tend to strengthen the affection you express for me.

You have my fullest sympathy, my dear F. The feelings you describe were once those of my own heart; and not till I had unreservedly given those affections which then roamed from object to object,-unsatisfied and unhappy, as if like Noah's dove, they could find no resting here below, yet seemed ever to return with renewed weariness and wretched disappointment to my own bosom, feeling the utter inability of all that is earthly, to give satisfaction and solace to the heart,-to that Being "in whom we live, move, and are," and who has a right to our strongest and most devoted affections; and who will be satisfied with nothing short of our whole heartsnot till I had made Him the chief object of my desire and aim, did I find that rest and peace which I had sought in vain from other sources. Happiness is a plant which can only flourish in a religious soil; the toil is fruitless, if you seek to cultivate it in any other." "Tis an exotic of celestial birth, and only blossoms in celestial air."

We must then leave earth,and every thing earthly, and soar heavenwards, ere we can taste its bliss. God has, as if purposely to lead men, after many a weary effort, to himself, the centre and source of good, graciously implanted in the human heart a restless longing desire after it, which will induce men to use every exertion for the attainment of it, though ever so often disappointed and hopeless of success. Do you then seek it in Him, and you will never be disappointed; give your heart to God, and you will be happy. Books, amusements, company, friendship the strongest, love the most devoted, still leave a want behind. There is a vacancy in the soul, which nothing earthly can fill. It must rise to its Maker; it must enjoy that pure and holy communion with Him, which our hearts, in an inferior degree, delight in enjoying with those we love on earth. But the soul is something superior yet. No earthly affections can satisfy it. It rises above them all, and seeks for something more elevated, purer, more sinless, something all-perfect, which it can delight in contemplating, and love most absorbingly, without any drawbacks; which it in vain may look for from creatures. Do we find pleasure in conversing with those we love, and is epistolary intercourse delightful, which at best we can enjoy but imperfectly?—(for how often do we find the friend for whom our hearts overflow with the most disinterested and tenderest affection, cold, perhaps deceitful!) how much more noble and unmingled then, is the heaven-born delight of pouring out our hearts with entire confidence and filial affection before our God and our Maker, and of claiming the tenderest pity and sympathy from a Being infinite in power, whose very essence is love, and who has most condescendingly sought to win our affections, and asks us to become his sons and daughters? "My son," will you then "give Him your heart?” He, the great, the good, the all-powerful, asks it. Can you, will you deny Him? Rather will you not say,

"Here's my heart," and all I have and am-"oh take and seal them, Seal them for thy courts above."

"Bind me, thine, with cords so sweet and strong, that nothing shall separate us."

Butlest such majesty should seem too great and overwhelming, and our souls might shrink from so intimate and close an union with the God of heaven, behold, "the door, the way,"-Jesus the beloved, the Man, the Advocate, the Intercessor, the "Friend, who sticketh closer than a brother," comes between; He is, as it were, our Usher into the Majestic Presence, the uniting link that binds the soul of man to God. He who loved us beyond all human conception, with love so strong as to give his very life for us, now draws us by the irresistible ties of gratitude, to "his God and our God." Oh, who can tell the privilege and happiness of being His?" and if sons, then heirs," heirs together with Him of the kingdom of God! How great an honor to be the children of the Most High, of the King of kings! to call God our Father,

and to receive the tokens of his love and care, and an Heavenly inheritance! I trust you will not consider this a light matter; but know by experience the dignity and happiness resulting from it: dignity,-for what greater motive could we have for watching over ourselves and keeping our hearts from all sin, than that of being allied to such holiness and greatness, such condescension and love? Remember, "we are not our own, but are bought with a price," even "the precious blood" of our immaculate Lord and Saviour.

"Make then but trial of his love, experience will decide,

How blest are they, and only they, who in his love confide."

Let me entreat you by all that is most solemn, most affectionate, to come to this resolve; and let me know the result. I fain would do all that affection and experience can dictate, to aid you in your pursuit after such true and only good. But, lest I should seem too importunate, I will now conclude and await your answer. I trust you will not be displeased with my candour, but believe it proceeds from the best of motives. But I must bring this long letter to a close, lest I should weary you. Farewell! Wishing you every blessing for this world and the next, believe me to be, Your ever affectionate friend and mother,

"

3.-Extract from the Young Man's Rejoinder.

C. C.

I thank you sincerely for the observations which you have made upon the importance of a religious life. Yet indeed, to suppose that I had never reflected upon that point myself, would be to attribute to me a lightness of character which I do not possess. Every man, even of the most depraved and worldly mind, amidst the whirl of folly and of pleasures, (so miscalled,) and even of vicious indulgence, has some solitary hours, when, perhaps in the darkness of night, conscience, throwing off the folds of the veil of pleasure, which hitherto had shrouded her, starts, like a strong man, from her slumber, and cries in a voice of thunder, "Sleep no more.' Every man has these moments of reflection. I have had them. The profession I followed, did much toward forming my character. Destitute of congenial companionship, (for I shrunk from those who yet considered themselves my equals,) and equally so of books, I was thrown upon the resources of my own mind. It is only in solitude that the mind feels its own strength; and it is but a vigorous mind which affects solitude. Lonely nights of watching in all parts of the world, led to thought: the various changes of the heavens,-the mighty ocean in the sublimity of its terrors, the calmness of its rest,-all these lead to the Creator. From the book of nature our souls rise to our God. Ah! how much do those lose whose days glide on without a study of the creation! From hours like these, I derived a happiness which compensated for the hardships I underwent. Thus, amongst the wicked, though myself such, my mind was religiously inclined. After years thus struggled through, my situation and my prospects in life were altered. You ask how I looked upon the change? with pleasure as restoring me to the bosom of my family, as presenting opportunities of acquiring the knowledge I had learned to prize, and for which my soul thirsted. My father's parting advice, and the admonitions of my own mind, have, I trust, led to a change-for life.

F.