s. Phips with a magnificent gold cup worth
fifteen thousand dollars, and King James expressed great pleasure at
the honesty and ability of Phips in the conduct of such a difficult
undertaking, and as a reward for bringing such a treasure into England
granted him the honor of knighthood, and offered him important
employment in the royal service. Fortune had indeed smiled on the
shepherd-boy of Maine.

But Phips was never ashamed of his humble origin, nor in all his
wanderings did he forget his native land. And now, instead of remaining
to enjoy further honors near the throne, he returned to his family,
bearing the important commission of High Sheriff of New England. He now
built the brick house on Green Lane which he had promised his wife
fifteen years before. The name of this Street was eventually changed to
Charter Street, in memory of his efforts to have the charter of the
Massachusetts colony restored.

Sir William Phips afterward engaged in the wars between the American
colonies of France and England, and at the head of an expedition of
eight ships captured Port Royal. A subsequent enterprise against Quebec
failed from a combination of causes, some of them beyond the control of
Phips. After this Sir William went again to England, where he was
appointed Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the New England
colonies; and his return home with these new honors and titles was made
the occasion of a day of solemn thanksgiving.

His governorship having ceased, Sir William Phips sailed for England,
and was meditating a fresh expedition in search of shipwrecked treasure
when he was taken suddenly ill, and died at the age of forty-five.
While his adventurous career affords us little hope that any of us will
ever, like him, discover shipwrecked wealth, it gives us a fine example
of what perseverance combined with intelligence, courage and honesty
can accomplish in the face of great difficulties; for it was a union of
all these qualities which enabled Sir William Phips to wrest fortune
and honors from the ocean depths.

[Illustration]

SOME FISHING-BIRDS OF FLORIDA.

BY MRS. MARY TREAT.

All along the St. John's River, during the winter, may be seen birds
catching fish for a living. They are more numerous here in winter than
in summer, because, upon the freezing of the waters at the North, they
flock to Florida to carry on their fishing in the St. John's, which,
never freezing, contains an abundance of fish.