cruel in the governor of Pennsylva an inexperienced lad as thou art." Here Ben turning on him his fine blu misfortune, said again to Denham, "wel you advise me?"

"Advise thee, Benjamin," replied De tone, "why, I would advise thee not t moment's uneasiness about this affair. the story of Joseph, does thee not? how his brethren into Egypt, not only a poor indeed a slave too? And yet this event, highly disheartening, proved to him in th happiest incidents of his life. So, byg Benjamin, this may prove to thee. young yet, with a plenty of time before t great city for thy business. Now if thou ployment with some printer of distinction, thyself more completely master of thy tr friends, that may enable thee to settle so tageously in Philadelphia, as to make it governor Keith ever betrayed thee here. a triumph much to thine own honour, as of other youth, who shall ever hear of thy

As when a sweet breeze of the ocean becalmed ship, that with flapping sails sluggish flood, instantly the joy-wakene brighter foam, and the hearts of the sailo with transport to their native shores. T Ben's soul was the counsel of his friend I a moment's loss of time he went, as his fr advised, and sought business at the offi most eminent book-printers in London, P With the latter he spent most of his time England.

This Palmer was an amiable man, and nance, now mellowed more than ordinary appointment, he saw a something that inter in his favour. He asked Ben in what p had learned the art of printing. Ben told set a type in London. "Aye! where the "in Paris" Ben replied, that he was ju

who can't believe that any thing can be learned out of the sound of "Bow-bell." He stared at Ben on saying he had learned to print in North America, as would a French petit maitre at one who said he had learned to dance among the Hottentots. "I am afraid, sir," said he to Ben, that I cannot employ you, as I really felt a wish to do; for though I now command fifty workmen, I want a Gabber, i. e. a man uncommonly quick, and of a satirical turn. And in neither of these characters, sir, will you, probably, suit me, sirhowever, sir, as it is late now, and I have business out, if you will call in the morning, we will see about it." Next morning, before sunrise, Ben waited at Palmer's office, where numbers of his journeymen, having heard of the young North American printer, were assembled to see him work. Palmer was not yet up. An apprentice went to inform him that the young printer from North America, was come. Presently Mr. Palmer made his appearance, looking

somewhat confused.

"And so you are a buckskin, sir," said he, rather cavalierly "Yes sir," replied Ben, "I am a buckskin."

“Well sir, I am afraid you'll not make your fortune by that here in London," said Palmer.

"No sir," answered Ben, "I find it is thought a misfortune here, to have been born in America. But I hope it was the will of heaven, and therefore must be right."

66

"Aye!" replied Palmer, a little tauntingly; and so you have preaching there too!! But do the buckskins generally stir so early as this ?"

Ben replied, that the Pennsylvanians were getting to find out that it was cheap burning sun-light. Here Palmer and his cockneys stared at him, as country buckskins are wont to do at a monkey, or parrot, or any such creature that pre

tends to mimic man.

"You talk of sun-light, sir," said the foreman to Ben: can you tell the cause of that wide difference between the light of the sun in England and America ?"

Ben replied that he had never discovered that difference. "What! not that the sun shines brighter in London than in America-the sky clearer-the air purer-and the light a thousand times more vivid-and luminous-and cheering -and all that?"

Ben said that he could not understand how that could be, seeing it was the same sun that gave light to both.

“The same sun, sir! the same sun!" replied the cockney

rather nettled, "I am not positive of th ting that it is the same sun, it does not the same light in America as in England know, suffers by going to the West, as th losophers have proved; then why not the Ben said he wondered the gentleman sun going to the west.

"What, the sun not go to the west!" r quite angry, "a pretty story, indeed. and don't these show you that the sun travels to the west ?"

"I thought, sir," replied Ben, modest great countryman, sir Isaac Newton, had that it is the earth that is thus continuall the sun, which is stationary, and gives England and America."

Palmer, who had much of the honest him, equally surprised and pleased to se the pride and ignorance of his forema conversation by placing a composing sti Ben, while the journeymen gathering hugely to see the young North America stick in his hand!

Having spent a moment or two in runni letter cases, to see if they were fixed as in in America, and glancing at his watch, and in less than four minutes finished the

"And Nathaniel said, can there any t of Nazareth?-Philip said, come and see Palmer and his workmen were petri letters set up in less than four minutes, a der? And then such a delicate stroke at nonsense! Ben was immediately employe

This was a fine introduction of Ben to every person in which seemed to give him he wore his rare talents so modestly.

It gave him also a noble opportunity he failed not to improve.

Passing by one of the presses at which a and hollow-eyed, was labouring with un

A

But admit

that it gives y thing, you

French phi talk of the

he cockney, e eyes, sir; the east and

at your own every body ng, and not me light to

man about us chastise Stop to the hands of

marvelled composing

s over the

ng-offices to work,

come out

ar eighty t a blundice and

ng office, elcome;

1, which

meagre ,as aptouched

essman

London, the little pressman was surprised that Ben, wh was a compositor, should talk of giving him " a spell." How ever, Ben insisting, the little pressman gave way, when Be seized the press, and possessing both a skill and spirit ex traordinary, he handled it in such a workman-like style, tha the men all declared they should have concluded he had don nothing but press-work all his life. Palmer also, coming b at the time, mingled his applauses with the rest, saying tha he had never seen a fairer impression; and, on Ben's re questing it, for exercise and health sake, he permitted him t work some hours every day at press.

On his entrance into Palmer's printing-office, Ben paid th customary garnish or treat-money, for the journeymen t drink. This was on the first floor, among the pressmen Presently Palmer wanted him up stairs, among the composi tors. There also the journeymen called on him for garnish Ben refused, looking upon it as altogether an unfair demand and so Palmer himself, to whom it was referred, decided insisting that Ben should not pay it. But neither justice no patronage could bear Ben out against the spite of the jour neymen. For the moment his back was turned they woul play him an endless variety of mischievous tricks, such a mixing his letters, transposing his pages, breaking down hi matter, &c. &c. It was in vain he remonstrated against suc injustice. They all with one accord excused themselves laying all the blame on RALPH, for so they called a certai evil spirit who, they pretended, haunted the office and al ways tormented such as were not regularly admitted. Upo this Ben paid his garnish-being fully convinced of the foll of not keeping up a good understanding with those amon whom we are destined to live.

Ben had been at Palmer's office but a short time befor he discovered that all his workmen, to the number of fifty were terrible drinkers of porter, insomuch that they kept stout boy all day long on the trot to serve them alone. Every man among them must have, viz.

1 A pint of porter before breakfast,-cost

1 A pint, with his bread and cheese, for breakfast,
1 A pint betwixt his breakfast and dinner,

i A pint at his dinner,

1 A pint betwixt his dinner and night,
1 A pint after his day's work was done,

d. 1

1

1

1

1

1

A practice so fatal to the health and subsistence of those poor people and their families, pained Ben to the soul, and he instantly set himself to break it up. But they laughed him to scorn, boasting of their beloved porter, that it was "meat and drink too," and the only thing to give them strength to work. Ben was not to be put out of heart by such an argument as this. He offered to prove to them that the strength they derived from the beer could only be in proportion to the barley dissolved in the water of which the beer was made that there was a larger portion of flour in a penny loaf; and that if they ate this loaf and drank a pint of water with it, they would get more strength than from a pint of beer. But still they would not hearken to any thing said against their darling beer. Beer, they said, was "the liquor of life," and beer they must have, or farewell strength.

66

Why, gentlemen," replied Ben, "don't you see me with great ease carry up and down stairs, a large form of letters in each hand; while you, with both hands, have much ado to carry one? And don't you perceive that these heavy weights which I bear produce no manner of change in my breathing, while you, with only half the weight, cannot mount the stairs without puffing and blowing most distressingly? Now is not this sufficient to prove that water, though apparently the weakest, is yet in reality the strongest liquor in nature, especially for the young and healthy?"

But alas! on most of them, this excellent logic was all thrown away.

"The ruling passion, be it what it will-
The ruling passion governs reason still."

Though they could not deny a syllable of Ben's reasoning, being often heard to say that, "THE AMERICAN AQUATIC (or water drinker) as they called him, was much stronger than any of the beer drinkers," still they would drink.

"But suppose," asked some of them, "we were to quit our beer with bread and cheese for breakfast, what substitute should we have?"

"Why, use," said Ben, "the substitute that I do; which is a pint of nice oat-meal gruel brought to me from your beerhouse, with a little butter, sugar and nutmeg, and a slice of dry toast. This, which is more palatable and still less costly than a pint of beer, makes a much better breakfast, and keeps the head clearer to boot. At dinner I take a cup of cold water, which is the wholesomest of all beverages, and requires nothing but a little use, to render it as pleasant. In