minor point compared with the balance-sheet of the nation. The melancholy history was occasionally enlivened by episodes, which sometimes arose from the humor, and sometimes from the sufferings of the populace. It is recorded as a fact, that, to procure the aid of the blind deity, a woman to whom a ticket had been presented caused a petition to be put up in church, in the following words:—“The prayers of the congregation are desired for the success of a person engaged in a new undertaking”; a singular contrast to others, who sought the midnight gloom of a church-yard to secure them the good fortune so eagerly craved. Romantic incidents often checkered the history. Old bureaus with secret drawers, containing the magic papers which led to an almost magic fortune, were purchased of brokers, or descended as heirlooms. The evils in country places were more vividly impressed on the mind from the smallness of the population. In a village near town, a benefit-club for the support of aged and infirm persons existed for many years. Among the members was one who, in trying his luck, gained £3,000. The effect was feverish and fatal to the peace of the little community. The society formed to nourish the sick and clothe the needy, was converted into a lottery-club. The quiet village, which had hitherto vegetated in blessed peacefulness, rang with the sound of prizes, sixteenths, and insurances. People carried their furniture to the pawnbrokers, while others took their bedclothes in the depth of winter to the same source. The money thus procured was thrown away upon lotteries; and the prize of £3,000 was destructive to the happiness of the place.