January 5. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
ad libitum , in both cases. I must now refer my readers 
for any further information requisite in Lamb-feeding, 
and other departments of their management, to my 
previous paper upon the treatment of Forward Lambs. 
Joseph Blundell. 
THE MAIN CHANCE. 
By the Authoress of “ My Flowers .” 
Wttat do my readers understand by the term “ main 
chance?” The believer and the worldly man will totally 
differ about it; the one will mean treasure laid up in 
Heaven, dug from the gold-mines of the Gospel; the other, 
treasures heaped-up on earth, toiled for through weary 
days and anxious nights, too often bringing sorrow as well 
as gain, and perishing in the using. 
I am about to give a sketch of one who sought this last 
kind of main chance. It is drawn by the able and valuable 
pen so often busy in the service of Iris fellow-creatures in 
these pages ; and will, I am sure, interest deeply—I trust, 
benefit effectually—many a cottage gardener, and many a 
general reader. 
“ ‘ Godliness with contentment, these be the pillars of 
felicity,’ are the words of an eminent modern writer; 
words which intending emigrants would do well to consider 
before, finally making up their minds to leave the happy 
homesteads of Old England, for the roughing of the bush, 
or the excitement of the Australian gold-field. The subject 
of emigration is fraught with anxious and painful consider¬ 
ation to the Christian philanthropist. That the discovery 
of gold should' have taken place at the same time, in 
Australia and the southern part of the great Continent of 
America, is too plainly marked by the finger of God to 
escapo the acknowledgment of any but the avowed infidel, 
and that, therefore, its results will be for the good of His 
creatures and the glory of His own name cannot be 
doubted. Yet it is a distressing thing to witness the rush 
that has taken place among all classes of society to secure 
the golden treasures, in spite of risk of voyage, health, and 
separation from relatives and friends. Some of the readers 
of Tiie Cottage Gardener may remember the melancholy 
but true history of William Green ; and I have room to add 
another instructive lesson from the example of Frederick 
Jones, who also was in my employ, and the result of whose 
career has reached me lately by an Australian vessel. 
Listen, then, ye intending emigrants ! 
“ Frederick Jones was known to me as the son of quiet and 
respectable people, well to do in their station in life; and 
when his parents applied to me to engage him to run 
on errands, and to do other little services which a lad is 
usually called upon to perform, I did not hesitate in se¬ 
curing his services ; for, independent of the good character 
of the family generally, there was something peculiarly pre¬ 
possessing in the boy himself. He had a cheerful and 
manly countenance, with a bright and clear eye, that looked 
you openly and honestly in the face; nor did his looks 
deceive, for a steadier, more hard-working, honest lad I 
never knew, and his obliging and conciliatory manners 
obtained for him the general good-will of all who knew 
him. It was with regret, that after remaining with me 
two years, he left me to follow the business of his father. 
After leaving me, he continued a regular attendant at 
the Sunday-school, until, in fact, he nearly reached the 
estate of manhood, and I looked with much interest on his 
progress in life. I should, indeed, have been very glad to 
have taken him apprentice in my own business, but even at 
this early age he had an eye to what is called “ the main 
chance,”—I mean, tho gain of wealth ; for, by some means 
or other, he contracted tho notion that his father’s trade 
held out greater prospects of larger wages than my own, and 
as his parents did not attempt to influence his choice, he 
was bound to that without hesitation. 
“ We now come to the eventful period of his life, when, by 
tho lapse of time, he became his own master, and threw 
off the shackles of his apprenticeship. The news from 
the gold-diggings arrested his attention, and ho determined, 
at the earliest possible period, to seek in tho distant clime 
267 
of Australia for that wealth which he thought could not be 
obtained with sufficient readiness in England. His parents, 
for some time, opposed his plans, but finding his mind 
fully made up, they ceased to attempt to influence his 
choice, and eventually assisted him with the loan of A’20,— 
a largo sum for persons in their humble position. The 
day at last arrived for sailing, and having found a compa¬ 
nion who entered fully into his views and feelings, they set 
sail from Liverpool about eighteen months ago. A letter 
was received from him from Plymouth, where the vessel 
touched, and although he had already experienced some of 
the misery of a sea voyage, it was written in rather good 
spirits, and lie told his mother that they had a clergyman 
on board, who had preached to the emigrants an impressive 
sermon on the subject of Abraham’s departure at the Lord’s 
command. This letter was full of affectionate leave-taking, 
and thanks for his parents’ assistance; he dealt mourn¬ 
fully on the possibility of not seeing them again, and sent 
various messages to his younger brothers and sisters. 
Months after this rolled away, and no letter came to 
soothe the anxiety of his parents; and they were almost 
beginning to be fearful that he had not safely reached his 
destined port, when the Australian mail brought the long- 
looked-for epistle. I have only lately read it, so that its 
contents are fresh and clear upon my memory, and I sin¬ 
cerely wish that its simple narrative was as clearly im¬ 
pressed upon the minds of all intending emigrants, for 
although evidently written with a view to colour matters as 
highly as possible, consistently with truth, yet there was 
such a picture of confusion and hardships to be undergone 
by the unfortunates who have left the happy shores of 
England, that would, I am persuaded, make the most 
sanguine pause before they took a step which would involve 
great labour and difficulties to attempt to retrace; and, in 
tact, in most cases, the expence of returning prevents the 
possibility of doing so.” 
I must keep the continuation of this interesting tale till 
my next paper. It is one of instruction and profit, for I 
am sure, nine people out of ten do not view emigration in 
its right light. They may think they are going out, like 
Abraham, at the Lord’s command, when they are only 
fleeing, like Jonah, from His face, and casting His words 
behind them. Abraham obeyed an express command, and 
went, “not knowing whither;” but people are very often 
improvident in the good things the Lord gives them ; or, 
greedy of gain, or thirsting after riches, or wearying for 
something new and exciting, and they go where tempta¬ 
tion is offered, where gold abounds, and where God is not 
known or worshipped! Dear readers ! your gains may be 
less in your Christian home, but they are safe, and peace¬ 
ful, and honest. Look more to God. Seek His blessing. 
Ask Him to bless your basket and your store. Turn from 
your idols. Put away the abominable things which He 
hates—the false balance, and the bag of deceitful weights. 
Depend upon it, our business is with ourselves; our worldly ’ 
matters are the Lord’s concerns. Oh ! if we pray more, we ! 
shall prosper more! Let us dig in the Lord’s gold-fields, { 
in our closet, with a closed door. That is the way to be 
rich, holy, happy. Readers ! before you follow poor Frede¬ 
rick Jones, try this plan. 
POISONOUS SECRETIONS AND ROUP. 
Few facts in physiology are more inexplicable than that of 
animal poisons, when introduced, by the absorbent vessels, 
into the system. That a single drop from the poisonous 
tooth of the adder should, when applied to a wound, forth¬ 
with induce such a fearful train of mortal symptoms is, 
indeed, astounding. The aid of the chemist is sought in 
vain to shed a single ray of light on the deadly nature of 
this “ leperous di§tilmcnt.” He discovers nothing in the 
saliva of the rabid animal, or in the poison of the rattle¬ 
snake, save the most simple ingredients,—a little water and 
mucous, combined with minute portions of a simple and 
innocuous salt, are all tl}at his art and his science con 
detect! 
On the other hand, possibly, some of your readers may 
now learn with surprise that these very poisons—the poison 
of the rattlesnake, of the Cobra de Capello, or of the rabid 
