voice of joy and melody. Thus to them the place became no other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven.

In that spot Christians had fellowship with one another, and with their Lord and Saviour. Amongst those who enjoyed this great privilege were the four nobles who were burnt alive at Faravohitra. Here they were confined, and here they might have been seen waiting for the hour of execution, seated upon the ground, bound with chains and surrounded by soldiers, singing hymns of praise to the great Redeemer, and thus preparing themselves for death. Nor had they long to wait. One morning, in the early part of the year 1849, the Queen's messenger entered the prison. When he appeared, the nobles, with fifteen other Christians, who were sentenced to be hurled down from the precipice at Arapimarinana, were engaged in their favourite employment. Still seated upon the ground, they sung a favourite hymn, which thus begins :

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"When I shall die and leave my friends,

When they shall weep for me,

When departed has my life,

Then I shall happy be."

But the hoarse, harsh sound of the messenger of death is now heard. He is pronouncing upon each the punishment they are about to suffer. As soon as the nobles learned what their terrible death would be, they sent to beg the Queen that they might first be strangled. But even this mercy was denied them.

And now all is ready; and through a doorway, which is not seen in the engraving, the four nobles

went forth to suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus. As a particular favour, they were permitted to walk to the place of execution, instead of being carried upon poles. One of them was a lady, and it might have been supposed that she at least would have shrunk from the fiery trial. But no! they were all firm, and even joyful. They knew in whom they believed, and were quite ready to lay down their lives for His sake; so, as they went along the road, they sang a hymn which begins— "When our hearts are troubled;"

And each verse ends with

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"Then remember us."

Thus they came to Faravohitra. The stakes were fixed in the ground, and the fuel was piled around them. There stood the executioner ready to bind the Christians, and to light the fatal fire. But none of these things moved them. The pile was kindled, and then, from amidst the crackling and roaring of the flames, arose the voice of prayer and praise: "O Lord," they were heard to cry, "receive our spirits for Thy love has caused this to come to us; and lay not this sin to their charge!" "Thus," writes one who stood near the martyrs, and saw that never-to-be-forgotten scene-"thus they prayed as long as they had any life. Then they died, but softly-gently. Indeed, gently was the going forth of their life, and astonished were all the people around that beheld the burning of them."

But we must again visit their prison-house. Shortly after the death of the Queen, and the renewal of Missionary work in the capital, the King allowed the building to be again used for

divine worship. But it was soon found too small for the numbers who crowded to hear the Gospel. It was therefore resolved to join it on to another house that stood near it. So the people took out the ends of both houses, built up a piece of wall between them, and having thatched over the space, they prepared for themselves a rude but roomy sanctuary. The engraving will show where the houses were joined together. Within the space surrounded by the wall, one of the Memorial Churches is to be built, for there is not a spot on earth which the Christians of Madagascar regard with more interest.

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Having looked well at Ambatonakanga, our young friends may turn to the three other engravings. These are different representations of Faravohitra. One of them is a distant view of the spot. shows, first, the population of this part of Antananarivo; and thus proves how good a situation it is for the Church. There is no doubt but that here will be gathered one of the largest, if not the largest, congregation in the capital. And, secondly, our young friends will see what a noble position their church will occupy. When the four nobles were burned upon this high ground, the flames in which they suffered could be seen from the palace and from a large part of the city. And it will be the same with the Memorial Church. It, too, will be seen far and wide; and it will lead thousands, as they remember the past, to cry with joy and thankfulness, "What hath God wrought!"

But we will now, with the assistance of the other engravings, get a closer and clearer view of this