mmencement of the fourth night from the accident.

The corpse of this poor girl was the first I had ever seen. Her
eldest brother had discovered and placed it on the grass, and as he
and her father gazed upon it, while the moon shone down upon the group
standing motionless and silent in the gloomy ravine, never was I so
conscious of the intensity of the misery which _can_ befal us--that
indeed "the trail of the serpent was over us all."

The funeral of this girl was the first at which I had to officiate. It
is singular that a funeral consequent on an unusual death should be
attended by greater numbers than an ordinary one. On this occasion, I
may safely say, that my little retired burial-ground, and its
immediate vicinity, were occupied by thousands.

Though always in the habit of taking great exercise, I never
experienced severer work than on the day which brought rest to others,
not but that I might have avoided it. For five weeks successively I
have served three churches each Sunday. On these days I had to walk
forty miles, and ride another forty miles, and once or twice
experienced heavy falls with my horse. This, then, I suppose, was
steeple-hunting, properly so called--all this too was for love, at all
events, not for money.

The latter, indeed, was very scarce in this part of England. My
predecessor had served the parish fourteen years, for twelve pounds
per annum. The present rector was in the annual receipt of
forty-three pounds, out of which he had to pay me, but with the aid of
a little simony, this was easily avoided, and as I took no fees, I can
hardly call it a lucrative appointment, and certainly not a sinecure.

I am fully aware of the fallacy of judging on any subject, without
examining both sides of the question, but the following case really
seems to have only one:--

By great ingenuity, I should think, the sum of eight hundred and
forty-five pounds is distilled from out the peaty soil of my humble
parish, under the denomination of great and small tithe.

From the sound, one might be led to suppose that this sum was, in some
slight way, connected with ecclesiastical purposes; and, by-the-bye,
so it is exactly, for forty-three pounds go to the rector, and the
remainder is distributed among three wealthy and noble families.

At first, too, one might expect that this sum would, at all events,
afford to pay for a permanent and resident clergyman, with a roof over
his head, "be it ever so humble;"