of an evening. Accordingly, one Monday
evening, after his wife had made him tidy to
her heart's content, Dick walked off, with
Maggie on his arm, to Charlton Crescent,
Islington.

There, not a surly porter, but an old
woman of a homely appearance, opened the
door, and directed him up a remarkably narrow
passage into a small room, fitted like a
school, with benches and a tier of broad
shelves in one corner, which he was told
formed an exact copy of the berths or beds
on board Mrs. Chisholm's ships. Dick was
early; only a few people had assembled;
he got into conversation with his neighbour,
a pale thin young man, who was emigrating
to be a shepherd, because he was not able to
stand the work of a white-lead factory. He
had read a great deal in books, and told
Dick all about Australia. Mrs. Delver had
in the mean time been chatting with a stout,
comfortable widow woman, with a rosy
daughter of fifteen. These were going out to
join the widow's son, who had been five years
gone, and had sent home twenty pounds to pay
their passage. Presently, the proceedings were
commenced by Mrs. Chisholm, who read a few
letters from Australia, and then answered
several questions put by the company. A
gentleman, who seemed to know all about
it, then gave a short plain account of the
colony. Dick Delver found himself among
a roomful of people, all of his own mind,
some of his own sort, many about to
join relations; and in the course of an hour
he learned more about emigration and
Australia, from conversation and real letters, than
he could have learned in any other way in a
twelvemonth.

After the meeting was over, and when the
people had settled all their private business
among themselves (of which they seemed to
have a great deal), Dick went down stairs
with his wife, and saw the lady herself.

He told her he had made up his mind to go,
and that he thought of asking the parish to
give him some assistance. " The parish!"
said the lady; " pray, how tall are you?"
"Why, six foot and a inch."—" And what do
you weigh? " " Why, about thirteen stone."
—" I suppose you could work at a pinch, for a
day and a night too, if you were well paid?"
"Well, I have done it afore now."—" And you
could fight a bit, I suppose, if it were needed?"
"Well, I an't one for quarrelling, but I can
stand up for myself. If anybody gives me
anythink onpleasant, I give it of him back."
—" Well," said the lady; " a stout, hard-
working man like you, who can earn from
sixteen to twenty-four shillings a-week, ought
to be ashamed to count upon the poor-rates.
If you really want to emigrate, you must put
by something every week, until you have
enough to pay the passage-money. If at the
last you should be short by a few pounds,
perhaps the Society will lend them you; but first
see what you can do for yourself."

There was something about the lady's
way—continued Mr. Delver, as he told me
his story—that made my wife nudge me,
and we pulled out a couple of shillings, and
put down our names. Bless your heart, sir,
I've been a different man ever since. Says
the lady to me, " You need not waste any
time while you're staying until you can
pay the money. You can learn to write and
to measure your own work. When you go
digging wells in Australia, you will find it a
capital thing to be able to make out your
own bill and measure your own work. There's
a man up-stairs that will teach you, I'm
sure. We all help each other in this Society."
So she calls him down (he 's an engineer) by
the name of Filer,—and he has given me a
lesson twice a-week ever since. Besides
which, my Maggie has made shirts for him,
and seen to his things, for he's a bachelor,
and his sweetheart is in service. I 've a
matter of eight pound laid by, now, and can
pay five shillings a-week, most weeks; and I
begin to cipher pretty well. Bless you, I 'm a
different man! The relieving officer, the other
day, stared and looked back when he passed
me. Oh! said I to myself, you may look. It's
me. No more touching of hats. I can look
straight in the face of any man. So, thanks,
I say, to Mrs. Chisholm!

This name is in very many humble homes
a household word. Let us know, now, a little
more of the Society with which it is honorably
connected.

Founded, or rather brought before the
English world, in May, 1850, it has so far
acquired the confidence of the emigrating
classes of the working order, that two thousand
have become members of it, paying from
one shilling and sixpence to ten shillings
a-week. The first ship, the Stains Castle,
was despatched on the 28th September, 1850.
It contained two hundred and thirty-three
passengers, among which there were ten wives
going to husbands, and twenty children
travelling to parents. The two hundred and
thirty-three persons paid by instalments,
toward their own passage, one thousand four
hundred and three pounds; and some of them
received loans, varying from one to six
pounds. The Blundell sailed with two hundred
and sixty passengers, who paid one thousand
nine hundred and forty-two pounds, and
received loans of from one to four pounds per
head. The Athenian sailed with two hundred
and sixty-eight passengers, who paid two
thousand and ninety-two pounds, and received
an average loan of two pounds per head. The
Mariner sailed on the 26th February, with
about two hundred and eighty passengers.
These emigrants have been collected by the
exertions of a lady, living in a small house,
rented at some thirty pounds a-year, in an
obscure street, at Islington, with one paid
clerk, and one old woman, at four shillings
a-week, to open the door. The letters, in
answer to the inquiries of emigrants, have