in being proportionably shorter, and lar in mentioning the names of these I am, Sir, your's, &c. W. S. BISHOP, Late of Horncastle. The Coalheaver in his Coach, or the progress from Penury to Plenty, by way of the Pulpit. com WE have, in the commercial world, many instances of persons who have walked up to London by the side of the wagon from a country town, with all their property contained in a handkerchief, and of such as have occupied the lowest ranks of life, rising to opulence, and filling the highest offices of the metropolis itself. The frequency of such events in a commercial country, deprives them of a part of their interest, becauset raffick is understood to issue in gain; and a lucky hit, or an extensive speculation, well timed, may be alone sufficient to load with gold those pockets which formerly were empty. Usually, however, merce requires capital; and to be provided with the necessary, in case of a hard run. Learning and liberal studies are not so strongly connected with gain, as is but too well known to those who adopt them, as means of support, in life; yet still they require a capital, though of another description from that of the merchant; and the publick man, whether writer or speaker, who has not laid in a stock to begin with, runs a chance of being bankrupt in a short time. Such is the course of fair trade; but even smugglers, we suppose, must have funds to begin with, and to support the expenses of their outfit, &c. Yet, there are modes of life, in which smugglers need no outfit, publick writers and speakers poverty and want; he was an errand boy, a day labourer, a cobler (afterwards, a coalheaver.) He lived on barley, and fared hard. He removed to Thames Ditton, where he became father of a family, and took to teaching. Here he got his first "parsonick livery;" and from hence he removed to London, as to a more extensive scene of operations. In London he has gathered a number of followers. He is leader of a sect; and has many chapels, &c. in country towns, that look up to him as their head. His sentiments are severe to others, since only his own followers are in a state of grace; while they are said to be lax towards his flock, although in a state of disgrace. The peculiarities of his views of himself cannot be more emphatically expressed than in his own language which we now adopt. "Some few years before I was married," says he, "all my personal effects used to be carried in my hand, in one or two large handkerchiefs; but after marriage, for some few years, I used to carry all the goods that we had gotten, on my shoulders, in a large sack. But when we moved from Thames Ditton to London, we loaded two large carts with furniture and other necessaries, besides a post chaise well filled with children and cats." After coming to London. "During the space of three years," says Mr. Huntington, "I secretly wished in my soul that God would favour me with a chapel of my own, being sick of the errours that were perpetually broached by some one or other in Margaret Street chapel, where I then preached. But, though I so much desired this, yet I could not ask God for such a favour, thinking it was not to be brought about by one so very mean, low, and poor as myself. However, God sent a person, unknown to me, to look at a certain spot, who afterwards took me to look at it; but I trembled at the very thought of such an immense undertaking. Then God stirred up a wise man to offer to build a chapel, and to manage the whole work without fee or reward. God drew the pattern on his imagination while he was hearing me preach a sermon. I then took the ground; this person executed the plan; and the chapel sprung up like a mushroom. "I will now inform my reader of the kind providence of my God at the time of building the chapel, which I named Providence Chapel; and also mention a few free-will offerings which the people brought. "They first offered about eleven pounds, and laid it on the foundation at the beginning of the building. A good gentleman, with whom I had but little acquaintance, and of whom I bought a load of timber, sent it in with a bill and receipt in full, as a present to the Chapel of Providence. Another good man came with tears in his eyes and blessed me, and desired to paint my pulpit, desk &c. as a present to the chapel. Another person gave half a dozen chairs for the vestry; and my friends Mr. and Mrs. Lyons furnished me with a tea chest well stored, and a set of china. My good friends Mr. and Mrs. Smith furnished me with a very handsome bed, bedstead, and all its furniture and necessaries, that I might not be under the necessity of walking home in the cold winter nights. A daughter of mine in the faith gave me a looking glass for my chapel study. Another friend gave me my pulpit cushion, and a bookcase for my study. Another gave me a bookcase for the vestry. And my good friend Mr. E. seemed to level all his displeasure at the devil; for he was in hopes I should be enabled, through the gracious arm of the Lord, to cut Rahab in pieces; therefore he furnished me with a sword of the spirit: a new bible, with morocco binding and silver clasps. "I never went to one person to. borrow money for the building who denied me. God so opened their hearts, that I was amazed at his providence, and their kindness towards me. place in times of service began to be almost unbearable; it was of course thought necessary to enlarge the chapel. "And to this my friends agreed; namely, to raise the chapel one story higher, and to carry a flight of gal leries all round it. "They were as generous to me with their pockets as I am to them with a springing cruise in the pulpit, and we found begging to be a delightful employ. Besides, God kept us so happy in visiting the brethren, that we sowed many spiritual things while we reaped carnal; so that they were as glad to see us, as we were to rob them; and after a few of these trading tours we came to a conclusion of the business; and when we sat down under the hedge, and had put the money into our hats, and had counted it up, we found it to amount to the total sum of seven hundred pounds; so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed, not only over books of curious arts, but over the root of all evil. Some years before," he observes, speaking of preaching to collect money, "I toiled up and down this way, preaching collections for one minister or other. Every where, and in all things, I am instructed, says Paul; and so am I: for the vicar's bargain for his curate, and the boardmen leaving off when money failed, brought me to a determination not to labour for nothing; especially, having been informed that some called ministers have been sitting at home, while I have been preaching for them, who have ridiculed me after I had begged money: and well they might; for who but a fool, when God has used a shepherd to collect a flock together, would lead that flock from post to pillar, on purpose to shear them, and give the wool to men whom I know not whence they be? Bless my God, these boardmen have taught me better things; I keep my flock at home, and shear them for my own profit; and sure none can have so much right to the wool as those who labour day and night to feed the sheep. And I have vanity enough to think that they had rather the profits of the fleece fell to my share than to any other. Many journies of one hundred, two hundred, or three hundred miles, which have cost ten, twenty, or thirty pounds a journey, have I travelled, and at the same time paid one pound five shillings per week for a supply at home in my absence; but I confine my labours now, not to every place where I am invited, but where I am well known, and where there are poor, hungry souls to feed; to these my mouth is open, and to me their heart is. "I had got one old cart horse," says W. H. "that I had bought with the rest of the stock on the farm, and I wanted two more; but money run short; and I determined also to have a large tilted cart to take my family to chapel, and the man should drive it on the Sunday, and on lecture nights, and I would ride my little horse. This was the most eligible plan that I could adopt; and on this I determined as soon as God should send money to procure them. I came to this conclusion on a Friday, and on the next day, toward evening, came two or three friends from town to see me. I wondered not a little at their coming, as they know that on a Saturday I never like to see any body; and therefore, I conceived that they must be come with some heavy tidings; some friend was dead, or something bad had happened. But they came to inform me that some friends had agreed among themselves and bought me a coach and a pair of horses, which they intended to make me a present of. I informed them that the assessed taxes ran so high that I could not be able to keep it. But they stopped my mouth by informing me, that the money for paying the taxes for the coach and horses was subscribed also; so that nothing lay upon me but the keep of the horses. Thus, instead of being at the expense of a tilted cart, God sent me a coach without cost, and two horses without my purchasing them; and which with my other old horse, would do the work of the farm, as well as the work of the coach; and my bailiff informed me that he could drive it, having formerly drove one. Thus was I set up. But at this time the pocket was bare, and many things were wanting, both in the house and on the farm, and a place to fit up for my bailiff and dairy woman to live in. And it was but a few days afterwards before a gentleman out of the country called upon me; and, being up in my study with me he said, my friend, I often told you that you would keep your coach before you died, and I always promised that whenever you had a coach, I would give you a pair of horses, and I will not be worse than my word. I have inquired of father Green, and he tells me that the horses cost forty-five pounds; and there is the money.' In a day or two after, the coach, horses, and harness came. And having now a little money, I wrote to a friend in the country to send me twelve ewes, and a male with them; and they sent me twelve excellent ones, and the male with them, but would not be paid for them; they were a present to the farm. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord: Psalm cvii. 43. "When my coach came home, and my family had been once or twice to chapel in it, and the report of it was gone abroad, it was truly laughable to see the sorrow, the hard labour, and sore travail that fell upon some poor souls on the account of it. Their envy almost slew the silly ones.' "At the chapel door also were we not a little troubled with this sort of well wishers, sometimes twenty or more, about the coalheaver's statecoach, to examine matters, and look into things. And this continued more or less, for near two years. "The initials of my name, W. H. together with the initials of my state S. S. were put upon every pannel of the coach, upon the pads of the harness, and upon the very winkers of the bridles." Mr. Huntingdon, said to have been called Hunt formerly, sometime ago married lady Saunderson, relict of the late sir James Saunderson, sometime lord mayor of London (the daughter of alderman Skinner) which lady now graces his coach, his chapel, and his farm. DESCRIPTION OF THE SALT MINES OF WIELICZKA. The wonders that had been reported, and by men of learning, equally as by the ignorant, on the interiour of these mines, were calculated rather to excite astonishment than to convey truth. This subject of natural history is in reality too curious and interesting to need exaggeration. While these mines were under the crown of Poland, access to them was readily facilitated to strangers; but when, by the partition of Poland, they were allotted to Austria, certain formalities were established, previous to admission. The counsellor of the mines was first applied to; his permission was taken to the keeper of the mine; the parties then wrote their names, qualities, and countries in a register; after which a coarse covering, not unlike the frock of our wagoners, was put on each visiter, and the chief of the miners took charge of the company. The descent was effected by means of a very thick rope, coiled round a large wheel turned by a horse; this rope passed down a shaft about eight feet square, and reaching about one hundred yards below the surface. The four sides of this shaft were lined by rough trees, in order to prevent the falling in of the earth on the sides; for, indeed, this earth is but a sand, to which succeeds a very brittle clay, interspersed, from space to space, with layers of calcareous spath, of three or four inches in thickness. This bed of sand is followed by others of argillaceous earth, more or less coloured; but ordinarily of the colour of rusty iron. On the thick rope abovementioned are tied at intervals stout cross-bars, on which the person sits: a kind of loop passes over his knees, and another over his back; he lays tight hold of the rope, and is lowered to the first landing. Several persons are lowered at the same time, one over another. There are four stories or floors of salt, with streets, &c. From the first story to the fourth, in descending, there are stairs nine or ten feet in width. The first story presents a piece of architecture well entitled to attention; no less than a complete chapel, with all its ornaments formed out of the salt itself. It is dedicated to St. Anthony; is about thirty feet long by twenty four wide, and eighteen high: not only the steps of the altar, but the altar itself, the twisted columns that adorn it, and support the vault, with every ornament of the chapel, the crucifix, the statues of the virgin, and of St. Anthony, with another the size of life representing Sigismond, are all of salt; the latter is remarkably transparent. Not far from this chapel is another dedicated to our lady; and about 60 paces from this is another dedicated to St. John Nepomucendo. On certain days in the year mass is said in these chapels in memory of events which have occurred in the salt mine. The miners give the name 3 H of streets to the alleys which they form in working, and by the aid of a little fancy they find houses in these streets; hence the report of a city having been built and inhabited formerly in this subterraneous abode. Further on is a stream of fresh water, which filtering through a layer of argillaceous sand about four feet in thickness runs along the mines. They affirm, that it passes through the enormous mass of salt, without receiving any saltness from it: without that addition it is wonderful enough to find a stream of fresh water, amidst the salt rock. It serves to water the horses; and the miners themselves drink of it. In the galleries of salt are formed recesses where the miners deposit their tools, when they quit the mine; to these they give the name of houses. The deeper the workmen penetrate in these mines, the more abundant and the purer is the salt they obtain. If a few layers of earth, or clay, are found, they are but small and seldom more than two feet in thickness. No volcanick productions have hitherto been found in these mines; neither sulphur, bitumen, nor coal, &c. as in some others. Many shells are found; principally bivalves and madrepores. The air is wholesome in this deep abode. The galleries are formed with great attention to preserve a communication with the external air. The workmen enter in the morning and withdraw in the evening. They do not descend by the wheel, as that would take up too much time, there being usually 1200 and sometimes 2000 of them. They have ladders, stairs, &c. The horses never quit the mine while capable of labour. Their stables and racks are all made of the salt. They are employed to draw loads of salt from place to place; to turn the wheels in the shafts, &c. It is certain, that after a short stay in this confinement they lose their sight. These galleries are propped with the utmost solicitude: if any suspi |