January!).] THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 231 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
OUR VILLAGERS. 
By the Authoress of “ My Flowers," Sc. 
The opening of a now year is a loud call to all men, 
whether high or low, learned or unlearned, to consider their 
| ways. We are all children of one Father, and His commands 
I are addressed to us as such—there is no law for the rich 
but that which is also for the poor; and none can slip 
j through its meshes, because he is small and of no account. 
| Tire poor man may perhaps think that his low estate 
preserves him from many sins, and screens him from many 
temptations, and that the quiet, sheltering roof of his snug 
There is indeed, or might be, peace within the latticed 
j window, and the rose-covered porch, and few may be the 
temptations that approach him through the narrow wicket 
that leads to his neat and comfortable home, as much his 
own as the lordly castle, or the palace of his sovereign; but 
his heart is cast in the same mould with the hearts of all I 
men, and it is from within and not from without that peril 
comes. If the heart were sound, no outward attempt could : 
move it; and where it is evil, we are never safe—not even 
in the lowliest walk of life, among the calm and beautiful 
things of the peaceful country, where few sounds reach us 
but the stroke of the spade, the lowing of herds, or the roar 
of the wintry wind. 
Let the cottager remember this, for he may be comforting 
himself under a terrible mistake; and when he hears the 
startling midnight peal that marks the beginning of another 
year, he may listen quietly to its music, without considering 
the. solemn warning it so loudly gives. 
The cottager’s “daily bread" comes as immediately from 
the hand of the Lord as the rich man’s plenty. It is daily 
bread, in the full meaning of the words as regards bodily 
food, for his loaf depends upon his labour; and if work fails 
or slackens, he has no store to fall back upon to supply his 
wants. He needs as deeply as his richest neighbour the 
daily blessing and the daily grace, for how can he tell what 
a day may bring forth to cut olf his scanty earnings ? How 
many poor, hard-working labourers have I seen, during the 
prevalence of severe frosts, unable to earn one shilling! and 
in other times when work was scarce, either removing with 
their- families to the Union, or bringing upon themselves a 
debt for bread, that years perhaps could scarcely clear away! 
It is impossible to say that one class of persons is more 
dependent upon God than another, for He is able to bring 
ruin on the merchant, the landed proprietor, the tradesman, 
j or the nobleman, “ while the meat is yet in their mouths”— 
in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, for all hold these 
possessions only by his will; but the peasant is no more 
safe than his betters; and the new year solemnly repeats 
those impressive words : “ Consider your ways.” 
A striking instance of the gracious dealings of God with 
the pious “ cottage gardener," occurred about two years ago; 
and as I was an eye-witness of the fact, I can state it fear¬ 
lessly. An old man of very religious principles,—one who 
had for years loved and feared God, and knew “ the truth as 
it is in Jesus,” met with an accident of a frightful kind. He 
, was assisting to take in a wheat rick, and went on the top of 
! the load into the barn. By some unintentional want of care, 
a pitchfork that he had with him struck against the top of 
the barn, and by this means Isaac C-was thrown off the 
waggon with the fork, which struck deeply into his leg, and 
was obliged to be drawn out by manual force. The flow 
of blood that ensued was immense, and the poor man was 
carried home almost in an exhausted state to his agonized 
| wife. The wound was so deep and severe, and the weakness 
; from loss of blood so great, that his medical attendant at 
| first entertained little hope of his recovery: but he lay 
1 quietly in his bed “in perfect peace,” trusting in the Great 
| Physician, who brought him signal deliverance. No fever 
followed, comparatively little pain was felt, and the lacerated 
flesh healed as soon as possible. Even, the surgeon ex- 
l pressed surprise at the rapidity of the cure, but Isaac felt 
| no surprise at all. He blessed and magnified the Lord 
who had so remarkably preserved and made him whole, but 1 
he said, “ the promise of the Lord was sure to all who 
trusted in Him, and why should he feel surprised, when His j 
word came to pass ? ” He said he had endeavoured to walk I 
with God for forty years, and duiiug the whole of that time 1 
he found that “ mercy and goodness had followed ” him; ! 
his trials and afflictions had been good for him, and he had 
been, as in this case, “ delivered out of all.” It was a beau¬ 
tiful sight to see this Christian lying in his humble but 
cleanly bed, rejoicing in the affliction, because he said it 
brought him into full and close experience of what his 
Bible taught him, and of the faithfulness of Christ. Many 
might have learned a wholesome and blessed lesson by his 
bedside, who were far beyond him in station and learning; 
for “ the poor of this world, rich in faith,” can set an 
example that monarchs would do well to follow. 
Isaac C-’s cottage is very small, but brightly clean, 
and an air of cheerful peace seems to fill it. His wife is 
one of the very neatest, cleanest little creatures possible; 
and although they are both aged, and suffering from the 
natural decay of strength, they are full of contentment and 
thankfulness for all their blessings. He has never so fully 
recovered from his weakness as to be able to do regular 
work since; but he does what he can ; and delights to “tackle 
the land,” as he calls his little allotment, which is some dis¬ 
tance from the village, but to which ho devotes much of his 
time. He is a cottaye gardener, and as such, his short and 
simple history addresses itself to many of my readers. - His 
children are steady and respectable, and are comforts and 
supports, too, in his declining age. I often meet him in 
warm, sunny weather, resting on a bank, on his way to or 
from “ the ground,” and it is always refreshing to stay a few 
minutes and talk to him. 
How good would it be for all cottage gardeners to walk 
in the steps of poor old Isaac C-! How quietly they 
would then rest under those Almighty wings, ever ready to 
shelter them, and from whose mighty security no man upon 
earth can tear them! How harmlessly would the evils of 
life pass over them,—how complete would their enjoyment 
be, whatever might betide, and how dazzling would be the 
home awaiting them, when their cottages are crumbled into 
ruins, their gardens broken up into wild desolation, and 
“ the earth also and the works that are therein shall be 
burned up! ” 
We are beginning another stage of our journey towards 
eternity, but we cannot toll how soon our chariot wheels may 
stop. Let us be watching against that hour, of which 
“knowetli no man;” for it may be “ at hand ” to every one of 
us. As the new year opens upon us, whether in youth or 
age, in poverty or plenty, in health or sickness, let us all, j 
my cottage readers, “ consider our ways ! ” 
SCARLET THORN, AND SCARLET 
HORSE-CHESTNUT. 
Mr. Rivers, of the Nurseries, Sawbridgewortli, has written 
to me two letters, from which the following are extracts:— 
“ Dec. 14, 1850. 
“ You have got us poor nurserymen into a mess, by 
calling the Double Fink Thorn the “ Double Scarlet." 
There is no such thorn. There are, as you well know, only- 
two double thorns, the Double White, which fades to a pale 
pink, and the Double Pink, most properly named, for it is 
always pink, and never red or scarlet. Pray, make this right, 
for already people order Double Scarlet Thorns, and will not 
believe there is no such thing, because you say there is. 
No honest man can label a thorn “Double Scarlet,” for it 
would bo a lying label. 
“ Again, the Scarlet Horse-chestnut is JEsculus rubicundU 
