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A woman, and other labourers, ditto

Another mistake was that of trying to regulate the prices of manufactured articles. There were many others, such as prohibiting the importation of silk, in order to protect the English silk manufactures-prohibiting the exportation of horses or money; and worse still, the granting of "exclusive" privileges in trade to certain bodies of merchants, so that no one else might buy or sell what they traded in. These bodies of merchants or companies were called corporations, and the trade which was thus confined to themselves alone, was called a monopoly. These abuses, which Henry began with good intentions, were extended in succeeding reigns, as you will see. In the present day, however, such evils are nearly all removed. Every one is beginning to see that commerce must be left to act naturally, and that its laws should not be interfered with, any more than the laws of nature. You have now heard of the principal events of this reign. In the year 1509, the time of Henry's death came. In one of the history books, the summary of his reign is well given. It is said, that "having seen England civilized by his endeavours, his

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people pay their taxes without constraint, the nobles confessing their subordination, the laws alone inflicting punishment, the towns beginning to live independent of the powerful, commerce every day increasing, the spirit of faction extinguished, and foreigners either fearing England or seeking its alliance, he began to see the approaches of his end, and died of gout in his stomach, having lived fiftytwo years, and reigned twentythree."

The character of Henry is worth considering. The changes for good which he made in the manners and condition of his people should be always remembered with gratitude. He was a famous king, but he was not a good man. He was certainly "a faithless friend, and a bitter enemy"-he treated his wife unkindly because she belonged to the house of York; he behaved well neither to his mother nor his son. His ruling vice was avarice, as you have no doubt observed. Čertainly he did not die in debt, as the kings before him had done; but before his death he amassed the incredible sum of £1,800,000, which was equal to nearly £16,000,000 in these days.

THE ENGLISH TRAVELLER.

THE THAMES-THE PORT OF LONDON-THE DOCKS.

"MY DEAR CHILDREN, "I said that after crossing London Bridge we entered a Gravesend steamer. On this (the eastern) side of the bridge is the beginning of the Port of London. The port extends from the bridge to Blackwall, and beyond, a distance of more than six miles. The confused appearance of the scene, from the crowds of ships, the vast 'forest of masts, the number of black-looking 'colliers, I have alluded to in a former letter. For a long distance the surface of the river is covered with ships, except a channel about 300 feet wide, which is left clear for the craft to pass up and down.

""I wonder,' I said to my friend, 'that there is not more confusion than there seems to be with so many vessels.'

""There was during the last century,' he replied. The fleets of merchantmen often blocked up the port; so that it was resolved to excavate great docks to accommodate the ships. In 1802, the West India Docks

were

opened; in 1805, the London Docks; in 1808, the East India Docks; and in 1828 the St. Katherine's Docks were also opened. These docks contain, as you may imagine, a vast number of ships; I think that you would like to visit them.'

""Yes, I said, 'I should. We will just visit one set of docks.' "Accordingly we landed at Blackwall, travelled back to

London, and entered the London Docks.

""The cost of some of the docks,' said my friend, 'is even more surprising than that of the bridges. These London Docks cost the immense sum of £4,000,000; the thick outer walls cost £65,000.'

"We then entered the dock; and after I had been inside for an hour, I was not surprised at the expense of building such a place. I was more surprised at its size. It covers altogether nearly 100 acres of ground. There is one grand enclosure of twenty acres of water; and this is surrounded by immense warehouses for 'bonded' goods. Besides, there are several smaller enclosures, each being surrounded by similar gigantic buildings.

"Astonished as I was at these places, and at the endless space covered with bales, boxes, bags, and barrels, I was more excited on visiting the vaults below. I was taken by my friend to the Tobacco-warehouse, which is the largest covered building in the world. It occupies five acres of ground, and has space for 24,000 hogsheads of tobacco.

"I waded through gh this immense field of hogsheads for some time, when my friend told me that he had a more remarkable sight for me yet. 'I have,' he said, 'a "tasting-order," given me by my wine-merchant; and with it we can obtain "When my friend reached his wine - merchant's pipe of wine, the cooper pierced it, the wine was tasted, and we returned. On reaching the open air I felt quite giddy, for the fumes of the atmosphere had | woman with new bright cooking

admission to the vaults beneath, to taste his pipe of wine.'

"Accordingly we went down to the wondrous vaults under the tobacco warehouses; and I soon felt that I had no words which can give you any description of such a place. The vaults are the principal winestores of England; they are arched with brick, and extend, in one direction, in one long line for the length of a mile. As we entered, we found that the cellars were dark.

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""How shall we proceed?' I asked. 'Wait,' was the reply, and presently a cooper came to accompany us, carrying a light; my friend also carried a light. 'Now,' he said, 'let us go.' "Then on we went! Can you imagine us going on? I remembered walking through OXFORD STREET, EET, which is mile long; but that was nothing to this. There we had pleasant shops on our way, but here, on both sides, were nothing but the immense pipes of wine, which seemed to be without limit. Indeed, I felt that I was in a silent underground city, breathing a strange atmosphere which smelt and even tasted of wine. Besides the large main street (or passage) there were many turnings; these lanes were also of great length. In the whole vaults there is room for 65,000 pipes of wine.

almost intoxicated me. My friend smiled at me, and said that if he had thought of it, I should have had a substantial meal before entering, to prevent such effects.

"We then travelled towards the dock-gate again, that we might return home; but I was almost unable to bear the tumult of the busy scene through which we passed. Without taking the trouble to describe to you what we ourselves saw, I will give you an account which has been written by a well-known author, Mr. Henry Mayhew. He says:'As you enter the dock, the sight of the masts in the distance, and the tall chimneys vomiting clouds of smoke, and many-coloured flags flying in the air, has a most peculiar

effect: the sheds with the mon

ster wheels arching through the roofs, look like the paddleboxes of huge steamers.

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Along the quay you see, now men with their faces blue with indigo, and now gaugers with their long brass-tipped rule dripping with spirit from the cask they have been probing. Then will come a group of flaxen-haired sailors, chattering German; and next a black sailor, with a cotton handkerchief twisted turban-like round his head.

""Presently, a blue-smocked butcher, with fresh meat and a bunch of cabbages in his tray; and, shortly afterwards, a mate with green parroquets in a cage. ""Here you will see sitting on a bench a sorrowful-looking tins at her side-she is an emigrant preparing for her voyage.

""As you pass along, at one time the air is pungent with the scent of tobacco; at another, you are overpowered with the fumes of rum. Then you are nearly sickened with the stench of hides and huge bins of horns; and, shortly afterwards, the atmosphere is fragrant with coffee and spice. Nearly everywhere you meet stacks of cork, or yellow bins of sulphur, or leadcoloured ore. As you enter the warehouse, the flooring is sticky, as if it had been newly tarred, with the sugar that has leaked though the casks; and, as you descend into the dark vaults, you see long lines of lights hanging from the black arches, and lamps flitting about midway. Here you sniff the fumes of the wine, and there the peculiar fungous smell of dry-rot.

""Then the jumble of sounds, as you pass along the dock, blends in anything but sweet concord. The sailors are singing boisterous negro songs from the Yankee ship just entering the cooper is hammering at the casks on the quay-the chains of the cranes loosed from their weight rattle as they fly up again-the ropes splash in the water-some captain shouts his orders through his hands-a goat bleats from some ship in the basin-and empty casks roll along the stones with a dull drum-like sound.

""Here the heavy-laden ships are down far below the level of the quay, and you descend to them by ladders, whilst, in another basin, they are high up and

out of the water, so that their green copper sheathing is almost level with the eye of the passenger; while above his head a long line of bowsprits stretches far over the quay, and, from them, hang spars and planks as a gangway to each ship.

""This immense establishment is worked by from one thousand to three thousand hands, according to the 'brisk' or 'slack' nature of the business.'

"If, dear children, you imagine such a scene spread over nearly 100 acres of ground, you will get some idea of the London Docks. Then, think of the other large docks, which are almost as well filled, and you will thus get a faint impression of the wonderful extent of London's commerce. But, when you remember the enormous quantities of goods consumed in London alone, you will not, I am sure, wonder that such docks are necessary. "Before closing my letter, I may as well tell you that the St. Katherine's Docks are the nearest to London; the London Docks are next; then the West India Docks; then the East India Docks.

"I was on the whole much pleased with my visit to the Thames. The bridges, the pool, and the docks of that noble river are truly interesting subjects. But I am tired now, dear children, and having done with my subject I beg to say good-bye!

"Your affectionate friend,

"HENRY YOUNG."

ETYMOLOGY.
CHAPTER II.

THE NINE CLASSES OF WORDS-PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS.

Lesson 8.

THE PREPOSITIONS.

Ion. We have learned of five classes of words-1st, The names of things, called NOUNS; 2ndly, The words which express the qualities of things, called ADJECTIVES; 3rdly, The words used instead of nouns, called PRONOUNS; 4thly, The words which signify doing something, or being done to, called VERBS; 5thly, The words added to verbs to tell us something about them,

called ADVERBS. Shall we make a memory lesson about them?

P. No; we will first learn of all the classes. There are certain words which show the relation between other words. Can you understand that?

W. No. I did not know that words could be "relations."

P. The word "relation," Willie, merely means a connесtion. I may say I stand above you, and I may then say I stand behind you. These are different connections.

W. Yes; the first connection is that you are above, the second that you are behind.

P. Here are some more connections between you and me.

I have something good to say of you. I have something good to say for you. I have something good to say to you.

W. There are three more connections-of, for, and to. I like the last. Have you anything good to say to me?

P. Yes. Here is "something good." You may now easily discover a class of words different from those you have learned before.

W. I can see which words you mean. I will say thembefore, behind, of, for, from; these words show the connection between the other words.

P. And such words are called

PREPOSITIONS. "Preposition" means placing before. Make some sentences with prepositions in them, and you will see that the preposition is either before a noun or a pronoun.

Ion. I will make two sentences. John is laughing with me. My sister is laughing at Both the prepositions are

me.

before the pronoun “me."

L. I will try some sentences. Nelson fought for his country. Go to bed. I am on the couch. Think about your lesson. Go beyond the common.

So the preposition is another servant of the noun, for it cannot be used unless it is placed before a noun or a pronoun; it depends upon it, and is joined to

it. Let us make its "definition."

Definition. The words which show the connection between other words are called PREPOSITIONS. They have that name because they are generally placed before a noun or pronoun.

Examples. To, for, with, from, by, unto, upon, through, in, at, of, beyond.

P. I may remark that, origi

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