rigging, sails, &c.

dis-man'-tled, deprived of sus-pend'-ed, stopped.

swarth'-y, dark in colour.

THE French fleet lay moored in the form of a halfcircle in Aboukir Bay, close along the shore. His vastly superior force and the strength of his position made the French admiral consider that station quite secure; and, in this belief, he wrote to Paris that Nelson had purposely avoided him. He soon discovered his mistake, when Hood, commander of the Zealous, made signal that the enemy was in sight, and a cheer of triumph burst from every ship in the British fleet. Nelson had long been sailing in battle order, and he now only waited until the rearward ships should come up. The soundings of that dangerous bay were unknown to him, but he knew that where there was room for a French ship to swing, there must be room for an English one to anchor at either side of it, and the closer the better.

As his proud and fearless flect came on, he hailed Hood, to ask whether the action should commence that night; then, receiving the answer he longed for, the signal for "close battle" flew from his mast-head.

The delay thus caused to the Zealous gave

Foley the lead; he showed the example of leading inside the enemy's line, and anchored by the stern alongside the second ship of the enemy's line; thus leaving to Hood the first. The leading ships passed between the enemy and the shore ; but, when the admiral came up, he led the remainder of the fleet along the seaward side, thus placing the French line under double fire.

The sun went down soon after Nelson anchored; and his rearward ships were guided through the darkness and dangers of the bay only by the fire flashing from the enemy's ships.

In the course of the engagement the Orient caught fire, and through the terrible roar of battle a whisper went from ship to ship that for a moment checked the vigour of every arm.

During that dread pause the fight was suspended. At length the terrible explosion came; and the column of flame that shot upwards into the sky for a moment rendered visible the whole surrounding scene, from the red flags aloft to the reddened decks below; the wide shore with all its swarthy crowds, and the far-off glittering seas with the torn and dismantled fleets. Then darkness and silence came again, broken only by the shower of blazing fragments in which that brave ship fell upon the waters.

Till that moment Nelson was ignorant how the battle went. He knew that everyone was doing

his duty; but he knew not how successfully. He had been wounded in the forehead, and found his way unnoticed to the deck in the hope of the coming explosion. The light of the burning ship was a fitting lamp for eyes like his to read by. He saw his own proud flag still floating everywhere; and at the same moment his crew recognised their wounded chief. The cheer of welcome was only drowned in the renewed roar of their artillery, which continued until it no longer found an answer from the enemy, and silence had confessed destruction.

Morning rose on an altered scene. The sun had set upon as proud a fleet as ever sailed from the gay shores of France. Now only torn and blackened hulls marked the position they had then occupied; and where the admiral's ship had been, the sea sparkled in the sunshine. Two ships of the line and two frigates escaped, to be captured soon afterwards; but within the bay the tricolour was flying on the Tonnant alone. As the Theseus approached to attack her, she hoisted a flag of truce: "Your battle flag, or none!" was the stern reply. Slowly and reluctantly, like an expiring hope, that pale flag fluttered down from her lofty spars, and the next that floated was that of England.

And now the battle was over, India was saved upon the shores of Egypt, the career of Bonaparte was checked, and his navy was destroyed.

Aboukir.-A small bay in the Mediterranean, close by Alexandria,

Zealous, Theseus, Orient, Tonnant, are the names of vessels; the first two English, the two last French. India was saved, &c.-Bonaparte invaded Egypt with the view of attacking our Indian possessions. The destruction of his fleet at Aboukir rendered him powerless in that quarter.

QUESTIONS.-1. Where is the Bay of Aboukir? 2. How was the French fleet anchored? 3. What was the French admiral's opinion of his position? 4. What plan of attack did Nelson adopt? 5. What happened to the Orient? 6. What is meant by "Your battle flag, or none"? 7. In what way was India threatened by Bonaparte?

THERE is something patriarchal still lingering about rural life in Sweden, which renders it a fit theme for song. Almost primeval simplicity reigns over that northern land—almost primeval solitude and stillness. You pass out from the gate of the city, and, as if by magic, the scene changes to a wild woodland landscape. Around you are forests of fir. Overhead hang the long fan-like branches, trailing with moss, and heavy with red and blue cones. Under foot is a carpet of yellow leaves, and the air is warm and balmy. On a wooden bridge you cross a little silver stream, and anon come forth

into a pleasant and sunny land of farms. Wooden fences divide the adjoining fields. Across the road are gates, which are opened by troops of children.

The peasants take off their hats as you pass; you sneeze, and they cry, "God bless you." The houses in the villages and smaller towns are all built of hewn timber, and for the most part painted red. The floors of the taverns are strewed with the fragrant tips of fir boughs. In many villages there are no taverns, and the peasants take turns of receiving travellers. The thrifty housewife shows you into the best chamber, the walls of which are hung round with rude pictures from the Bible, and brings you her heavy silver spoons -an heir-loom-to dip the curdled milk from the pan. You have oaten cakes baked some months before, or bread with aniseed and coriander in it, or perhaps a little pine bark.

Meanwhile the sturdy husband has brought his horses from the plough, and harnessed them to your carriage. Solitary travellers come and go in uncouth one-horse chaises. Most of them have pipes in their mouths, and hanging around their necks in front a leather wallet, in which they carry tobacco, and the great bank notes of the country, as large as your two hands. You meet also groups of peasant women, travelling homeward, or townward, in pursuit of work. They walk barefoot, carrying in their hands their shoes, which have high heels under the hollow of the foot, and soles of birch bark.