enjoy freedom themselves, and if possible to give freedom to others. The ecclesiastical state I spoke of is in the middle of Italy, and on both sides of the great chain of mountains called the Apennines, which runs through the land. In the map it is called “States of the Church." Its chief city is Rome. The ruler is the Pope, and the people are mostly ignorant and superstitious. The Austrian province, as it was before the war, was Lombardy, called sometimes Lombardo-Venetia, because the beautiful city of Venice also belonged to it. The Emperor of Austria governed this province very harshly and unjustly; and most people have thought that Austria has no business to possess any part of Italy at all. Below Lombardy may be seen the Dukedoms-Parma, Modena, and Tuscany. But what was the war about? Why, the King of Sardinia long wished to drive the Austrians out of Lombardy; and some people say he also wished to gain Lombardy for himself. I do not know how this might be, I only know that the Lombard people wished to be joined to Sardinia; and I suppose they had a right to choose. But Sardinia is small, Austria is great; and so France came to help to drive the Austrians out. Louis Napoleon is the Emperor of France; and he, with Victor Emanuel, King of Sardinia, joined their armies, and fought several great battles, in which they won the victory; and forced the Austrians to draw back nearly to the river which you see in the map between the cities of Mantua and Legnan. The name of that river is the Adige, and rushes down from the Alps, the mountains that you see along the north, or top of the map. Well, the two Emperors at last with good reason ITALY AND THE WAR. 117 became tired of fighting, and perhaps even the King of Sardinia became so too. Probably on each side as many as fifty thousand soldiers were killed or wounded. One hundred thousand in all! So the two Emperors and the King and their counsellors considered whether they could not find some way of making up the dispute without any more battles. The plan agreed upon was, that Austria should let the people of Lombardy have their wish to be joined to the kingdom of Sardinia. The Dukedoms had already joined Sardinia without fighting, as the Dukes and Duchesses were wise enough to go away when they found the people did not wish for them any longer. But now the Emperors have agreed that the Dukes and Duchesses are to go back. I wonder how the people will receive them! In The States of the Church, I fear, will remain under their present bad government; as both Louis Napoleon and Victor Emanuel are Roman Catholics, and have been anxious not to offend the Pope. Indeed, they have agreed that he is to be a kind of head over all Italy, with its province, duchies, and kingdoms. the war, when the people of Ferrara, Modena, and Bologna wished to join themselves to the Sardinian kingdom, the Emperor and King would not let them. And worse, when the inhabitants of Perugia, a city nearer Rome (just near the bend of the mountains, between Sienna and Spoleto), wished to do the same, the Pope was allowed to send his Swiss soldiers among them to shoot, stab, and trample down men, women, and little children. But Louis Napoleon says, that he will try and make the Pope govern better. I fear it will be of no use. Dear children, I want you all to consider what a very bad way of settling differences it is to fight about them; and to pray that, happen what may, we in England may be kept from mixing up in such quarrels, whether in Italy or in other parts of Europe. A good time is coming, when men shall "learn war no more." When will that be? When the gospel of Christ shall everywhere be known and loved. Let, then, the short story of the war that I have told you, and the story of the hundred thousand unhappy victims struck down in Italy, make you all more earnest, prayerful, and diligent in the Missionary cause. CHINESE BASTINADO. L. L. N. WE continue our series of Chinese illustrations with a curious picture, from a design by a native artist, KIND WORDS FROM AMERICA. 119 illustrating the plan by which the people of China think that men are to be made wise and good. There the STICK rules all. It is scarcely any disgrace, although it is a misfortune, to be beaten. The law of love was never dreamed of by Confucius; nor in Chinese law is there any acknowledgment of the power of kindness. Let us send the BIBLE thither, and the BASTINADO will soon disappear! KIND WORDS FROM AMERICA, OUR readers, both old and young, will be very glad, we are sure, to have another collection of gems from the speeches at the great American Sunday-school meeting. We, therefore, continue our extracts. Here is one, first, on a very important word. TRY, "I like," said Colonel Thompson, "to speak upon that word try. Why, children, it is the greatest word in the dictionary. When the old woman asked Robert Raikes if something could not be done to stop the children's noise on Sunday, 'Why,' said he, 'I'll try. He did try; and you know the result of his trying. Now, if you'll all try to fill up the school next Sunday, you'll soon see the good of your trying. "I was once urging the little girls of a Sundayschool to see how many new scholars they could bring in. Soon after, a little girl came up to me, and said that she had got four new scholars. 'And whom have you got?' I asked. 'I've got Mary, and mother, and Bobby, and Aunt Nancy!' (Laughter.) Bobby was a boy four months old. (Renewed laughter.) But he was a great boy, I assure you; and we felt that Bobby was a scholar; and when we passed round the Missionary contribution-bag, Bobby put up his hand, and his mother pushed the cent through his fingers. Sabbath after Sabbath he was there, and gave his penny. By and by, his mother and father removed from that neighbourhood, and I was very sorry, because we were losing his penny. (Laughter.) "I think a great deal of these penny contributions. One of the wealthiest men in the State of New York once said to me, Oh, teach those children to give.' Why, there are men in our community who, when they get hold of a three-cent piece, almost make a hole in it. This is not the way I want you to do. Oh! I like to see every scholar regular with his penny contribution. "I knew of a boy who began to go to Sunday-school when he was three years old, and he brought his penny regularly. At one time he was detained at home by sickness for forty Sundays, and when he came back he brought his forty pennies; his pocket was so full that he came staggering along, hardly able to walk. He has been in the Sunday-school fourteen years, and has never missed his penny contribution. He feels that he owes his penny every Sabbath, and he gives it every Sabbath." WON'T, CAN'T, and I'LL TRY. After the Colonel came a governor, Governor Pollock. Among other things he said :— "I was reading an article in a newspaper, not long since, in which it was suggested that in every Sabbathschool there are three kinds of boys and girls. The first is 'I won't.' The cross girl, the bad boy, when |