decorate its branches with the mutilated limbs of human sacrifices. They regard it as a solemn duty to worship the devil. "God," they say, "is naturally good, and will not trouble us, but the black spirit is wicked, and must be treated with deference and respect" -they, therefore, neglect God, and do every thing to propitiate the devil. They believe that the devil delights in human sacrifice; hence, acceptable offerings of human flesh are kept perpetually smoking upon the altars of the many temples of the devil. The priests sacrifice thousands of slaves upon almost every occasion of pagan ceremony.

Such is Africa, and such are her innumerable tribes stretching along the western coast, and extending into those vast interior and central regions that lie to the south of the great Sahara desert. We say nothing of the northern coasts of Africa because they have always been inhabited by Europeans or Asiatics.

This countless multitude of human beings dwelling under a tropical sun and upon a fertile soil, need no clothing to cover their bodies-scarcely use a fig-leaf to hide their shame-live on the spontaneous fruits of the earth or such as require a slight cultivation during a few weeks of the year-spending the remainder of their time basking in the sun, sleeping in the shade, or in wars, and wild and bloody sports-have not a sentiment of humanityand possess an understanding that rises not above the level of the brute.

Such is the picture of Africa-it is not exaggerated-missionaries, travellers, history, and tradition confirm its truth. There may be slight exceptions, but this dark portrait is the figure of Africa, that is one day to stretch forth her hands and rejoice. But how is this joyful renovation to be accomplished? How are these savages to acquire the civilization-to lift themselves up from degradation, and take their place in the line of march, to fullfill the destiny of mankind. We believe that a Divine Providence governs the world that by means of the great christian ideas which are the light and life of humanity, all men are to be brought in harmony with the Divine will. How are ignorant and savage tribes to be brought within the sphere and under the influence of ideas who are incapable of entertaining an idea, and whose dark understandings have not one opening or a crevice even through which a struggling ray might penetrate. This is the problem to be solved by the philanthropist and the philosopher. How were people like these to acquire ideas of God, religion, worship, church, government, the relation of husband and wife, and the sanctity of marriage, the relation of parent and child, and the duties of education--how were the conceptions of shame and modesty to be awakened in the soul of a naked being without which there is no chastity or virtue how were they to acquire habits of labor of persevering industry, and wise forethought in providing for the necessities of life? It is obvious that without some dim conception of these

things and some influence however feeble exercised by them on the minds of the people, that no human society or government is possible. They are the elements of social organization, and without them, man is only a gregarious animal living in a perpetual state of fear and repugnance. This is the question. And it is plain that nothing in the past history of humanity can aid us in the solution. Never was there a race of men anywhere else on the globe so abject and so inaccessible to all means of education. Separated from the rest of the world by oceans, seas and deserts, their country is sure death to the white man. What to the African is

a life-breathing atmosphere, is poison to every other human being. It is impossible, therefore, in their own country to teach them the arts of industry and the principles of truth. It is impossible for another reason-man cannot be made to labor where nature has abundantly supplied his wants without toil-nor can he be made to clothe himself merely for the sake of cherishing a sentiment of reserve and modesty where he feels no necessity for clothes as the means of protecting his body from the inclemency of the weather. The naked and idle savage has first to be made to cover his nakedness, and to exercise his hands diligently in some needful and productive labor, before a sentiment of humanity can be awakened in his bosom, or the first train of thought excited in his mind. And then this course will have to be persevered in from generation to generation, until the whole physical and craneal developments have been changed, before the simplest elements of civilization can be regarded as a permanent acquisition. It is an easy thing to lapse into barbarism, but to emerge from it requires a long and a toilsome effort.

We again put the question to the philanthropist and the philosopher-what was to be done with these African savages? The law of the progress of the human race required that they should fall into the line of progression, or be trampled down and extinguished. Humanity requires that the experiment should be made of forcing them into a course of improvement. But this improvement would not be successfully made without taking them from their own country, and subjecting them to a life of compulsory labor, where clothing is necessary to protect the body from the inclemency of the weather, and where continued industry and forethought is necessary to procure the means of subsistence.

The thing was done and in its wonderful results we see the the hand of an allwise Providence.

ARTICLE V.

(From the American Railway Times.) Railroads in Great Britain.-ANNUAL REPORT OF 1853.

The report of the proceedings of the railway department of the Board of Trade during the year 1853, by Captain Galton, R. E., has been issued.

The report states that the length of new lines of railway sanctioned by the Legislature in the United Kingdom during the year 1853 was 940 miles, which amount is very considerably greater than that sanctioned during any year since 1847. Of this amount 589 miles were in England, 80 miles in Scotland, and 271 miles in Ireland.

Among the most important of the new lines in England appear to be the following, viz: A line from Strood to Canterbury, by which the communication by railway along the south bank of the Thames will be rendered continuous as far as the North Foreland; the Portsmouth Railway, by which a direct communication will be afforded between Portsmouth and the metropolis; an extension of the Midland Railway from Leicester to Hitchin, on the Great Northern Railway, by which a second line of communication will be afforded from the midland districts to the metropolis; and the Worcester and Hereford Railway, by which a more direct route will be opened between the midland counties and South Wales.

In Ireland, the most important line would appear to be the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway, by which a direct route will be afforded between Belfast and Londonderry; and the Londonderry, Coleraine and Sligo Railway, which will afford a direct communication from Sligo to Londonderry, and to Dublin.

The total length of railway which has been authorised by Parliament to the end of 1853, is 12,688 miles. Of this number of miles, 7,686 have been opened for traffic, leaving 5,002 miles to be completed; but the compulsory powers of 2,888 miles have expired without being exercised, or the railways being opened to the end of 1853. The length of railways for the construction of which Parliamentary powers exist is 2,164 miles. The length of railway opened previously to December, 1843, was 2,036 miles. The length opened in the year 1844 was 204 miles; in 1845, 296 miles; in 1846, 606 miles; in 1847, 803 miles; in 1848, 1,182 miles; in 1849, 869 miles; in 1850, 625 miles; in 1851, 269 miles; in 1852, 446 miles; and in 1853, 350 miles, making the total length then opened 7,686 miles, of which 5,848 miles are in England, 995 in Scotland, and 843 miles in Ireland.

The length of the narrow gauge railway, including the Irish gauge of 5 feet, is 6,965 miles, of broad 626 miles, and of the mixed gauge 95 miles. The number of railway companies having

single lines of railway at the end of 1853 was 97, the length of single narrow gauge lines, including the Irish gauge, 1,543 miles, of broad gauge 112 miles, and of mixed gauge 53 miles - total 1,708 miles; of which 1,136 miles of single line are in England, 132 miles in Scotland, and 441 miles in Ireland.

Of the single line opened at the end of the year 1852, 32 miles 46 chains in England, and 51 miles 76 chains in Ireland, have been made double during the year 1853.

The total length of new line which was opened during the year 1853 amounted to 350 miles.

Of the lines opened in England, the principal ones are—the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton railway from Wolvercot to Evesham, by which the manufacturing districts near Birmingham, the town of Worcester, and the important agricultural districts between Worcester and Oxford are accommodated with a direct route to London; the Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford railway, and the Shrewsbury and Hereford railway, by which a direct route is afforded from Birkenhead to South Wales; and the Thirsk and Malton, and Malton and Driffield railways by which railway communication is afforded to an important district in Yorkshire.

In Scotland, the only line of importance opened for traffic was the Deeside Railway. In Ireland, the most important lines are the Waterford and Kilkenny, and Waterford and Limerick Railways, by which Waterford has been connected with the Irish railway system; and the railway from Killarney to the Great Southern and Western Railway.

All these lines of railway were inspected previous to being opened for traffic by officers of this department, and your lordships required the opening to be postponed in twenty-eight instances. The total number of inspections which were required to be performed by the officers amounted to fifty-eight.

Of the railways opened during 1853, twenty-five portions of railway, representing a total length of 298 miles, consisted of single line; and it would appear that the length of single line open at the end of 1853, viz: 1,708 miles, was between one-fourth and one-fifth of the whole amount of railways open. It is to be observed that the length of single line open at the end of 1852 was 1,485 miles, and at the end of 1851, 1,307 miles. A single line of railway cannot be worked with safety, except under special regulations, so framed as to prevent the possibility of engines or trains moving in opposite directions, from meeting on the single line; such regulations are, however, inconsistent with a large amount of traffic.

In all cases of single lines opened during 1853, your lordships. required generally either that the trains should be worked by means of one engine moving backwards and forwards over the line, or over particular portions of it; or that some particular man should be appointed to accompany the trains moving over the portions of

single line. And in cases where the electric telegraph is in use, the regulations required were that the persons employed to start trains should be distinctly responsible for ascertaining, before starting the trains, that the line is clear as far as the next station.

The amount of capital invested in railways at the end of 1852, was £264,165,680, of which £161,400,256 consisted of ordinary capital, £38,700,755 of preference capital, and £64,064,658 of loans. The amount of capital raised for railway purposes in 1849 was £29,574,720; in 1850, £10,522,967; in 1851, £7,970,151, and in 1852, £16,398,993; thus increasing the amount invested in railways at the end of 1849 from £229,747,779 to £264,165,680 at the end of 1852. The amount of money which was raised by railway companies during 1853 has not yet been returned to Parliament; but it may be assumed not to have been less than that raised during 1852, and it is therefore probable that the whole sum raised by railway companies to the end of 1853 is not less than £281,000,000, of which about £42,000,000 may be assumed to have been preferential capital, and nearly £70,000,000 would appear to have been borrowed on the security of the undertakings.

The number of miles of railway in course of construction on the 30th June, 1853, was 682 miles, and the number of men employed on them was 37,764. The number of miles open for traffic at that date was 7,512, and the number of men employed 80,409. The number of men employed on railways open for traffic was 9.15 per mile in 1852, and 10.7 per mile in 1853.

The total number of passengers conveyed on railways in the United Kingdom in the year 1853 amounted to 102,286,660; the number in 1852 had been 89,135,729. The total receipts from all sources of traffic amounted in 1853 to $18,035,879, and in 1852 to £15,710,554.

In England the mean length of line open during the year has been increased from 4,355.5 miles in 1849 to 5.730.5 miles in 1853, and the total number of passengers conveyed has increased from 49,879,362 in 1849 to 84,212,961 in 1853, being an increase of from 11,450 per mile in 1849 to 14,695 per mile in 1853. The numbers conveyed of each class bear very nearly the same relative proportion to each other in each year. In 1853 the number of first class passengers was 12.71 per cent., the number of second class was 37.8 per cent., and the number of third class was 49.42 per cent. of the whole number carried.

The receipts from passengers have increased from £5,446,518 in 1849 to £7,326,106 in 1853, being an increase of from £1,255 per mile to £1,279 per mile (the amount received during 1851 having amounted to £1,330 per mile). The receipts per mile from each class in 1849 were first class, £406; second class, £518; third class, £331. In 1853 the receipts per mile had di