May 6, 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
105 
unimpaired. As long as he remained in the sitting-room 
the scenes between the afflicted couple were still very sad. 
Mr. Grosvenor could not rise from his chair, nor lift the 
angry arm; but his words of wrath trembled with passion, 
and the flashing, violent eyes showed the unsubdued evil of 
the natural heart still. Excessive exhaustion followed these 
bursts; and oh ! how dreadful to witness such a descent into 
the tomb! 
i Great anxiety was naturally felt by a niece on the subject 
! of Mr. Grosvenor’s spiritual state, and she immediately 
communicated with a clergyman of known piety, explaining 
1 the circumstances of the case. An interview took place 
i between them; but, alas! the Unitarian spirit blazed up, 
; and such sentiments were uttered that it closed quickly and 
! painfully, and was never again attempted. A humble indi- 
i vidual, whose good character Mr. Grosvenor had ever re¬ 
spected, called to see him on his sick-bed. He was but a 
Bath-chair-man; but he had always drawn Mr. Grosvenor 
about, and felt great interest about him. He was “ a poor 
man, but rich in faithone who knew and loved his 
Saviour; and often the Lord chooses “ the weak things of 
the world to confound the things which are mighty.” This 
simple, humble Christian sat by the bed side of the dying 
man, and strove to preach to him “ Christ and him crucified 
but in vain. The dark, carnal heart refused to hear “ the 
voice of the charmer,” and seemed to be now incapable of 
understanding what he had hitherto so madly put from him. 
At length overpowering weakness crept silently on, and it 
was no longer possible to leave his bed. His poor little 
wife was kept in the dusty parlour; for the very sight of her 
irritated him, and he begged she might not be brought near 
him. Oh ! what a lesson this reads to thoughtless, reckless 
youth ! 
There, in that small back room, stretched on a weary bed, 
in a very dirty, comfortless lodging, lay the miserable Uni¬ 
tarian—miserable, for he had no “ sure hope ”—nothing to 
plead as a reason why sentence of death should not be 
passed upon him—nothing to brighten the dark valley 
—nothing to prop up his stumbling steps—nothing to give 
him a title to “ the inheritance of the saints in light.” He 
lay all the day and all the night in a sort of torpor; his eyes 
half open, and the expression of the face quite appalling. 
Sometimes he roused into consciousness, and complained of 
people and things which he saw around him, which no other 
eye could perceive; but he soon sunk again into a half¬ 
stupor, grievous to see. Thus wasted away the mortal part 
of one who was, what Scripture calls, a “ strong man ”—one 
who had no disease, nothing that could kill. His medical 
attendant said expressively, “ He is not dying ; he is only 
ceasing to live." Reader! many strong men amongst us 
may, in the fulness of strength and spirits, think the hour of 
death may never come; or they may feel so sound and safe, 
that they may forget the world beyond the grave. But let 
us all remember, that the day will come when we must, at 
all rates, cease to live, and let us get ready. No death-bed 
repentance must be trusted to; no ignorant, blind, dark, 
uncertain hope be rested upon. These will do us no service 
when “ night ” cometh ; they can neither give us “ rod and 
staff” to sustain our steps, nor “ light” to guide us on our 
' way. 
j There were some blessings mixed with the heavy affliction 
of imbecility. Mrs. Grosvenor never knew the loss of the 
i man she had ever loved devotedly. Her mourning-dress 
j was put on without remark, and to the close of her days she 
I was an unconscious widow. She never missed her husband, 
I but always spoke of his having just quitted the room, and 
j that he would be back immediately. So far all was calm 
] and comfortable, while her few remaining days passed away, 
j Upon the first anniversary of Mr. Grosvenor’s funeral his 
j widow breathed her last. 
Surely the consequences of sin are terrible. The first 
I oozing of water, if not stopped, may lead to enormous and 
fatal destruction. The first simple act of disobedience led 
the thoughtless girl into a long life of misery; the first act 
of deceit led to the disobedience. Let young people, as they 
value their own happiness, ponder upon these facts, and 
profit by them; they may, by the blessing of God sought 
earnestly, teach them, and restrain them from great sins 
and heavy punishments. Young people generally cause 
much unhappiness to others before their own begins, They 
seldom suffer alone; and the broken law of God does not 
rest alone on their heedless heads. They have also to 
answer for the broken, or lacerated, or grieved hearts of 
those who loved and sought their welfare, to whom they 
were, perhaps, as the apple of the eye. And “ shall not I 
punish for these things?” “Vengeance is mine, I will 
repay, saith the Lord;” and “ repay” He will, and does. 
Oh, readers! have pity upon your own selves! Beware of 
the first beginnings—the first motions of sin in your hearts. 
See what they lead to ! What the Lord has declared against 
the violation of His holy law ! Mark, I pray you, in the 
history of Mrs. Grosvenor, disobedience and its consequences. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Glass for Greenhouse Roof ( C . P. C.). —We recommend you to 
use Hartley’s patent rough glass. Do not, however, depend upon this 
to save your plant-leaves from being scorched. Careful ventilation is 
quite as needful as subdued light and heat for preventing this. 
Chinese Yam (E . J. C.). —Any of the nurserymen or seedsmen who 
advertize in our columns can send it to you. You will find notes on its 
culture in our No. 3/9. 
Potatoes turning Black (J. W.). —Do you mean that the leaves of 
the out-door crop have turned black? If so, the frost has been the 
cause. When Potatoes are up thus early, the earth should be drawn in 
a ridge on each side of them, and a little litter sprinkled over them. 
British Pomology (IV. IWGowan).—There is no probability of the 
second volume appearing very soon. 
Tar Varnish for Iron. —A correspondent at Sandbach says—“ I 
notice in your number for March 25, page 463, a recipe for varnishing 
iron. Will you permit me to suggest an additional ingredient which I 
have found to improve the composition ? Add to the turpentine and tar, 
when cold , 2 oz. sulphuric acid to each gallon, slowly stirred in.” 
Heating Greenhouse from a Cellar (W. R.).—Wc can see no 
objection to the site. 
Islington Garden (L .).—All the plants j r ou mention ought to grow 
there. Tacsonia ?nollissima will not do well in a pot. 
Names of Plants (\V. L.), —1. Amelanchier vulgaris. 2. Corydulis 
( Fumaria ) solidu. 3. Kennedy a monophylla. (A. 11.). —1. We believe 
to be Chorosetnu vuria. 2. Fabiana imbricutu. 3. No one could tell 
from such an imperfect leaf. 
THE POULTRY GHRON 1€UE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Agricultural Society (Royal). At Chelmsford, July 14th to 19 th. 
Sec. J. Hudson, Esq., 12, Hanover Square, London. Entries close 
June 1st. 
Anbrley. July 29th, 30th, 31st, and August 1st. 
Bath and West of England. June 4th, 5th, and 6tli. Sec. Mr. J, 
Kingsbury, 10, Hammet Street, Taunton. Entries close May 14th. 
Bristol. June 25th and 26th. Sec. Robert Hillhouse Bush, Litfield 
House, Clifton, Bristol. Entries close 26th of May. 
Essex. At Colchester, 8th, 9th, and 10th of January, 1857 . Secs. 
G. E. Attwood, and W. A. Warwick. 
Exeter. At Exeter, May 29 th and 30th. Sec. Mr. T. William Gray. 
Hull and East Riding. At Hull, June 25th. Sec., B. L. Wells, 
Esq., 23, Bishop Lane, Hull. Entries close June 18th. 
Leominster. Thursday, October 16. 
Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society. At Wigan, 
Thursday, August 7tli. Secs, for poultry, J. H. Peck, and J. S. 
Marshall, Esqrs. Entries close July 24th. 
Norwich. June 20th. (Norfolk Agricultural, for Subscribers only.) 
Sec., Mr. E. C. Bailey, Little Oxford Street, Norwich. Entries close 
May 31st. 
Nottinghamshire. At Southwell, December 17 th and 18th, 1S56. 
Sec., Richard Hawksley, jun. Entries close November 19 th. 
Nottingham Central Poultry Association. January 14th 
and 15th, 1857- Sec. f John Spencer, Nottingham. 
Paris. May 23rd to June 7th. Sec., M. M. E. Rouber, Division de 
l’Agriculture, rue de Varenties, No. 78 bis, Paris. 
Prescot. July 3rd. Sec., Mr. J. F. Ollard, Prescot. Entries close 
June 21st. 
Windsor Poultry Exhibition. At Windsor, 4th, 5th, and 6th of 
June. Secs. Thos. Chamberlain, and Henry Thompson. Entries 
will close May 10th. 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society. At Rotherham, Wednesday 
and Thursday, August 6th and 7th. Sec., J. Hannam, Esq., Kirk 
Deighton, Wetherby. 
N.B.— Secretaries viill oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
HEARING GAME. 
Life is a continual succession of seasons, and each of 
these beings its duties, its pleasures, and its pursuits. Most 
of them require a preparation beforehand, and if it be true 
that the anticipation has more of satisfaction than the 
reality, it is only another proof how admirably we are 
