CAPTAIN CALFAUN'S STORY.

The only assassination or murder,' said Captain Calfaun, that has occurred within my memory, in or near Muscat, happened in 1822. In that year a captain of one of these forts, an excellent and highly respected youth, by chance became intoxicated in company with a bosom friend. It was a rare circumstance in the province for one to be thus; but when an Arab does pass the boundary it is to a brutal excess. At night, when returning home through the city together, a dispute arose which maddened the inflamed and delirious passions of the young officer, and he stabbed his friend. He immediately recovered his reason, the body was thrown into a well, and it was long before the fate of the victim or the name of the murderer was known. Indeed the latter might have kept the secret locked in his own bosom, and perhaps veiled forever, except from the all-seeing eye of God. But the accusing monitions of conscience nightly and daily tortured him to confess. He became melancholy; he resigned his military office and sought

been long the general wonder, and was indeed strange, what had become of the lost young man: the assassin denied that he knew aught of him after their parting from the fort, and there were no signs of the murder. Still the latter was suspected, and persons were sent to the departing ship to see if any suspicious villain had taken refuge there. The ship sailed however without any trace of the offender; but, by some singular fatality, before a port was made, the object of the mission was subverted, and the ship ordered back.

'The manner of the self-condemned now became so changed and sad that his commander, ever his friend before, supposed some troublesome thoughts must be weighing upon his mind relative to his lost friend, and questioned him closely; but all in vain. Others caught the same impression, and at length the sultan sent for him to appear in person at the divan for a private interview.

He went, and the sultan with unwonted sternness called him by name to tell all he knew of his missing comrade.'What have you done with him?' said he. 'I killed him,' replied the youth with resolute calmness, and I threw him into a well.' A guard was sent to the place, and the confession was verified.

The paternal sultan addressed him with sympathy, and expressed his deep regret that one of noble blood and of holy faith should so dishonour his race, his family, and his God. He offered from

madee of silver, about nine hundred dollars, which is the customary fee of conciliation in such cases, to save the youth from a public death; but though the relatives of the deceased were poor, they refused this compromise for a life, and the order was given for his execution. Had he not confessed, he might have required five witnesses of undoubted veracity to prove his guilt; but he chose to confess without equivocation, and it was beyond the privilege of the Sultan to save him.

'He was taken to the beach, and a brave companion in arms, expert with the scimetar, was selected, as a favor, to execute the order of justice. The condemned had fervently repeated his last prayers, and stood erect, prepared for the final act of his tragic life. The chosen executioner had not heeded the last signal, and stood with downcast eyes, leaning mournfully against the scabbard of his sword, and permitting the delicate edge of the latter to cut the leather of his san

dal, or grate against the rough pebbles in the sand. From this sad and musing attitude the condemned aroused his faltering friend. Why do you hesitate,' said he, 'so fixed in that melancholy mood? I have known you as a brave man ; I have witnessed your unflinching nerves in deadly action; let not your strength and courage fail you now! for if you leave a fibre uncut by the first sweep of your blade, you have the curse of a dy ing man, the stigma of a trembling coward. Now strike like a man!' The comrade was himself again—the bright steel flashed in the air-the head rolled along the beach—and, strange to tell, the brainless trunk sprang and ran forward full a hundred feet before it fell.'

We should be glad to give some further extracts from Mr. Belcher's entertaining volumes, had we room, and we must again recommend the work to those who would like, by their own firesides, to make an interesting voyage AROUND THE WORLD.

It is alleged that the ancient yew-tree in Windlesham churchyard, Surry, (Eng.) was planted in the time of William the Conqueror, 1066, so that it has not quite lived almost eight hundred years. Several churches have successively been built by its side, and grown old and decayed and replaced by new ones, and about forty monarchs have successively occupied the British throne, during this period. It is

dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and the old church record of the period states that the breaking off a branch from this tree subjected the trespasser to a whipping at the cart's tail, or pillory and fine. trunk of the tree, as it twenty feet high, and, at ground, measures twelve ference.

The ppears, is ird from the

circum.

The name of Albion arose from the white chalky cliffs which appear on the coast of Kent, the coast nearest to the continent, and easily seen from Gaul, the old name of France.

Cæsar, when he attempted to land, was attacked by the rude but courageous natives; and it was not without much bloodshed that he gained a footing in the country and subdued a part of the island.

Pray let us stop a little here, and reflect upon the difference of Britain then and Britain now. The country little if at all cultivated; low mud cottages thatched with straw; the people half naked, being only partially clothed in dresses made of the skins of beasts; hunting the principal occupation; while the flesh of animals killed in the chase constitued the food, and their furs the clothing, of the people.

Their language, customs, and religion, you may suppose, were nearly similar to those of their nearest neighbours the Gauls; they used to fight with clubs and spears, and those terrible machines, chariots with scythes fixed on the axle of the wheels.

The Druids were their priests, who directed and performed their religious ceremonies. They sacrificed human victims to their gods; and the female druids pretended to prophecy. If our young readers will look into the 4th vol. page 290, of this Magazine, they will see a picture of a druidical sacrifice most revolting to humanity. Nothing could be more rude

must visit the most uncivilized Indian tribes that reside in the wilds of America to behold any thing now-a-days similar to our forefathers.

Cassibelaunus commanded the Britors at the invasion of Cæsar; and after fighting as long and as bravely as he could. he submitted to the conqueror, and made the best terms in his power for the vanquished islanders.

Cæsar returned to Italy to give an account of his conquests, and was continaed in his command of Gaul and the northern countries.

This conquest by Cæsar was little more than the success of the disciplined legions of Rome over a few tribes as barbarous as the American Indians. They retained their foothold and built cities on the island; but it required a century or two and several Roman armies during the reigns of many emperors to complete what Cæsar began.

Britain was well situated for trade, but had no vessels of burthen. The Phœnicians visited the island before the Trojan war, exporting tin from Cornwall in considerable quantities, and engrossed this lucrative commerce till about one hundred and sixty years before Julius Cæsar, when the Greeks found out and entered into rivalry with the Phoenician merchants. But neither of these commercial people appear to have been acquainted with any part of the country except the immediate neighborhood of Cornwall, and with this only for the purposes of trade.

HENRY THE SECOND.

HERE BEGIN THE PLANTAGENETS.

HENRY was the son of Maud or Matilda, who was the daughter of Henry First; so that she was Stephen's cousin. His father was a Frenchman, and Henry was almost always in France before he was king of England. He could not speak English, for at that time nearly all the noblemen, gentlemen, and clergymen in England were Normans, and French was the only language spoken at court. Although Henry knew so little of the English language, he was a very clever man in some things, and read a great many books, but I never heard that he read the Bible; so, poor man, he did not become wise unto salvation.

In his reign a man named Gerard,who was a faithful servant of Christ, came to England from Flanders to preach the gospel, with about thirty men, women and children, who came with him. The En

glish would not listen to him, and Henry was very angry, and ordered them not to speak any more of the gospel of Jesus. But they chose to obey God rather than man, and went from house to house telling the people to believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved.'

My dear children, how can I relate the sad story! Henry and his clergy ordered them to be burnt in the forehead with a red hot iron, whipped through the streets of Oxford, and then cut off their clothes up to their girdles, and turned them out into the fields. It was in the winter, frost and snow on the ground, and Henry said he would punish any who dared to give them food or shelter. The dear little children clung to their parents and cried bitterly; but they did not suf fer long, their spirits soon returned unto God who gave them; they fell asleep in Jesus. These poor children were better off than king Henry's children, because I dare say they were early taught to seek the Lord.

Henry had four boys and three daughters, and he let them do many naughty things without punishing them, so that they were always quarrelling with each other; and their mother, queen Eleanor, who was a very wicked woman, encouraged them in being disobedient to their father; but it is of no use to talk any more about them just now.

I must not forget to tell you the history of a very great man, who lived in this