THE City of London is a large and a busy place. Most little folks have heard of London, but if they have never been there, they can hardly conceive how large it is, and what a vast number of people live there. You may walk for several miles through streets and streets of houses. But of the houses and buildings-large and splendid and numerous though they be—I am not now about to tell you, but of a singular and wonderful curiosity, such a thing as the art and labour of man never before accomplished.

A fine river, called the Thames, runs through the middle of London, which being only abont twenty miles from the sea, and the river being deep and wide, vessels of a large size can come up with the tide and anchor all along the banks, which are covered with high warehouses as in the picture. When going up to London from the sea, you pass through several miles of ships and warehouses on each side of the river till you come to London Bridge, through which the ships with tall masts cannot pass. Higher up the river are several more bridges leading from one part of London to another, over which carriages and people are passing every hour of the day in a perpetual stream. And lately they have erected a beautiful suspension bridge over the river for foot passengers only.

But those who wished to go across from one side of the river to the other, where the ships and warehouses are, could only get across in little boats called "wherrys." And this was often unpleasant and sometimes dangerous, on account of the number of vessels always going up and down the river, especially the steam-boats, which, with their large paddles, made such a swell as to upset the wherrys sometimes, and sometimes when going fast, they would run them down, and several persons would thus be drowned.

What was to be done? Several things were thought of, but at length a clever gentleman, Mr. Brunel, thought of the plan of going under the river with a tunnel, as they could not go over it with a bridge. This was about twenty years ago.

But how was it to be done. Where did Mr. Brunel, (who was afterwards made a knight, and is now called Sir I. Brunel) where did he go to school to learn how to accomplish so difficult and dangerous undertaking?

I will tell you. He went to a little worm !-yes to a little worm. Mr. B. told a friend that he took the idea of having his workmen protected with a shield whilst working, from the operations of the teredo, a testaceous worm, which is found covered with a cylindrical shell, and under this cover works its way through the hardest wood.

And this, let me tell the young reader, is not the first time that the wisest of men have gone to insects, and birds, and animals, to learn a lesson how they shall best perform their works of art and skill. Do you ask how is this? I will tell you. The all-wise God is the teacher of the worm. He gives it what we call instinct, by which it is directed to do what it has to do in the best way it can be done. All His works are perfect, complete, and cannot be improved. When man attempts to do anything, he is not taught by instinct to do it perfectly, but has to find it out by his own reason and judgment. Very often, then, man must go to school to the inferior animals, to learn how Infinite Wisdom has taught such creatures to do the thing he wishes to accomplish in the most perfect manner possible.

Still man is vastly superior to mere animals. By his reason and skill he controls and rules all other creatures that exist on the earth.

But about this tunnel under the Thames. It is made at that part of the river where there is the most extensive traffic, from Rotherhithe on the south, to Wapping on the north, about two miles below London Bridge. Two similar attempts had been made before, at other parts of the river, but they failed. In 1823, Mr. Brunel proposed his plan for this, and in 1824 a company was formed, and an Act of Parliament obtained. He began