the horses, and telling him to get ready to ride with me, when George, another of the men, went by with a shade or visor to his cap exactly the shape of the one I left behind at the North, and for want of which I have been suffering severely from the intense heat and glare of the sun for the last week. I asked him to hand me his cap, saying, "I want to take the pattern of that shade." Israel exclaimed, "Oh, missis, not to-day; let him leave the cap with you to-morrow, but don't cut pattern on de Sabbath day!" It seemed to me a much more serious matter to offend this scruple than the prejudice with regard to praying in a riding-habit; still, it had to be done. "Do you think it wrong, Israel," said I, "to work on Sunday ?" "Yes, missis, parson tell we so." "Then, Israel, be sure you never do it. Did your parson never tell you that your conscience was for yourself and not for your neighbors, Israel ?" "Oh yes, missis, he tell we that too." "Then mind that too, Israel." The shade was cut out and stitched upon my cap, and protected my eyes from the fierce glare of the sun and sand as I rode to church.

On our way we came to a field where the young corn was coming up. The children were in the field-little living scarecrows-watching it, of course, as on a weekday, to keep off the birds. I made Israel observe this, who replied, "Oh, missis, if de people's corn left one whole day not watched, not one blade of it remain to-morrow; it must be watched, missis." "What, on the Sabbath-day, Israel ?" "Yes, missis, or else we lose it all." I was not sorry to avail myself of this illustration of the nature of works of necessity, and proceeded to enlighten Israel with regard to what I conceive to be the genuine observance of the Sabbath.

You can not imagine any thing wilder or more beautiful than the situation of the little rustic temple in the

woods where I went to worship to-day, with the magnificent live oaks standing round it and its picturesque burialground. The disgracefully neglected state of the latter, its broken and ruinous inclosure, and its shaggy, weedgrown graves, tell a strange story of the residents of this island, who are content to leave the resting-place of their dead in so shocking a condition. In the tiny little chamber of a church, the grand old Litany of the Episcopal Church of England was not a little shorn of its ceremonial stateliness; clerk there was none, nor choir, nor organ, and the clergyman did duty for all, giving out the hymn and then singing it himself, followed as best might be by the uncertain voices of his very small congregation, the smallest I think I ever saw gathered in a Christian place of worship, even counting a few of the negroes who had ventured to place themselves standing at the back of the church-an infringement on their part upon the privileges of their betters, as Mr. B- generally preaches a second sermon to them after the white service, to which, as a rule, they are not admitted.

On leaving the church, I could not but smile at the quaint and original costumes with which Israel had so much dreaded a comparison for my irreproachable London riding-habit. However, the strangeness of it was what inspired him with terror; but, at that rate, I am afraid a Paris gown and bonnet might have been in equal danger of shocking his prejudices. There was quite as little affinity with the one as the other in the curious speci, mens of the "art of dressing" that gradually distributed themselves among the two or three indescribable machines (to use the appropriate Scotch title) drawn up under the beautiful oak-trees, on which they departed in various directions to the several plantations on the island.

I mounted my horse, and resumed my ride and my conversation with Israel. He told me that Mr. K's great

objection to the people going to church was their meeting with the slaves from the other plantations; and one reason, he added, that he did not wish them to do that was, that they trafficked and bartered away the cooper's wares, tubs, piggins, etc., made on the estate. I think, however, from every thing I hear of that gentleman, that the mere fact of the Hampton people coming in contact with the slaves of other plantations would be a thing he would have deprecated. As a severe disciplinarian, he was probably right.

In the course of our talk, a reference I made to the Bible, and Israel's answer that he could not read, made me ask him why his father had never taught any of his sons to read; old Jacob, I know, can read. What followed I shall never forget. He began by giving all sorts of childish unmeaning excuses and reasons for never having tried to learn-became confused and quite incoherent -and then, suddenly stopping, and pulling up his horse, said, with a look and manner that went to my very heart, "Missis, what for me learn to read? me have no prospect!" I rode on without venturing to speak to him again for a little while. When I had recovered from that remark of his, I explained to him that, though indeed "without prospect" in some respects, yet reading might avail him much to better his condition, moral, mental, and physical. He listened very attentively, and was silent for a minute; after which he said, "All you say very true, missis, and me sorry now me let de time pass; but you know what de white man dat goberns de estate him seem to like and favor, dat de people find out bery soon and do it; now Massa K, him neber favor our reading, him not like it; likely as not he lick you if he find you reading; or, if you wish to teach your children, him always say, 'Pooh! teach 'em to read-teach 'em to work.' According to dat, we neber paid much attention to it; but

now it will be different; it was different in former times. De old folks of my father and mother's time could read more than we can, and I expect de people will dare to give some thought to it again now." There's a precious sample of what one man's influence may do in his own sphere, dear E! This man Israel is a remarkably fine fellow in every way, with a frank, open, and most intelligent countenance, which rises before me with its look of quiet sadness whenever I think of these words (and they haunt me), "I have no prospect.”

On my arrival at home I found that a number of the people, not knowing I had gone to church, had come up to the house, hoping that I would read prayers to them, and had not gone back to their homes, but waited to see me. I could not bear to disappoint them, for many of them had come from the farthest settlements on the estate; and so, though my hot ride had tired me a good deal, and my talk with Israel troubled me profoundly, I took off my habit, and had them all in, and read the afternoon service to them. When it was over, two of the women-Venus and Tressa-asked if they might be permitted to go to the nursery and see the children. Their account of the former condition of the estate was a corroboration of Israel's. They said that the older slaves on the plantation had been far better off than the younger ones of the present day; that Major was considerate and humane to his people; and that the women were especially carefully treated. But they said Mr. Khad ruined all the young women with working them too soon after their confinements; and as for the elder ones, he would kick them, curse them, turn their clothes over their heads, flog them unmercifully himself, and abuse them shamefully, no matter what condition they were in. They both ended with fervent thanks to God that he had left the estate, and rejoicing that we had come, and, above all,

that we "had made young missis for them." Venus went down on her knees, exclaiming, "Oh, missis, I glad now; and when I am dead, I glad in my grave that you come to us and bring us little missis."

DEAR E- --I still go on exploring, or rather surveying the estate, the aspect of which is changing every day with the unfolding of the leaves and the wonderful profusion of wild flowers. The cleared ground all round the new building is one sheet of blooming blue of various tints; it is perfectly exquisite. But in the midst of my delight at these new blossoms, I am most sorrowfully bidding adieu to that paragon of parasites, the yellow jasmine; I think I must have gathered the very last blossoms of it to-day. Nothing can be more lovely, nothing so exquisitely fragrant. I was surprised to recognize by their foliage to-day some fine mulberry-trees by Jones's Creek; perhaps they are the remains of the silk-worm experiment that Mr. C persuaded Major to try so C― ineffectually. While I was looking at some wild plum and cherry trees that were already swarming with blight in the shape of multitudinous caterpillars' nests, an ingenious darkie, by name Cudgie, asked me if I could explain to him why the trees blossomed out so fair, and then all "went off into a kind of dying." Having directed his vision and attention to the horrid white glistening webs, all lined with their brood of black devourers, I left him to draw his own conclusions.

The afternoon was rainy, in spite of which I drove to Busson Hill, and had a talk with Bran about the vile caterpillar blights on the wild plum-trees, and asked him if it would not be possible to get some sweet grafts from Mr. C for some of the wild fruit-trees, of which there are such quantities. Perhaps, however, they are not worth