The next town where they halted was Schaffhausen, like Zurich, dear to them in the recollections of past visits.  Here they examined the school for poor children in the town, and that of Buch in the neighborhood.  They were delighted with both these institutions.  The mistress of the former possessed an extraordinary natural talent for her office; she was originally a servant, when, instead of seeking her own pleasure on the First-days of the week, as other servants did, she would take a few children to teach them to read and instruct them in the Bible.  Their visit to the school at Buch is described by John Yeardley in No. 10 of his Series of Tracts, The Six Secrets.

On the 13th they went to Basle, where they conversed with most of the pastors, and several other individuals of religious character.

Serious, retired persons, says John Yeardley (9 mo. 21), frequently come to us and open the state of their minds with great freedom and confidence.  If we are of any use to their thirsty souls, it is the Saviour’s love that draws us into sympathy with them, and his good Spirit that enables us to speak a word in season to their condition.

As usual, they visited the Mission House.  Inspector Blumhardt informed them that the translation which had been made of J.J.  Gurney’s “Essays on Christianity,” and of which 2000 copies were printed, had been productive of great good; they had been distributed chiefly among those who were connected with the German universities.

They remained at Basle until the 1st of the Tenth Month, and then returned by way of Berne to Neufchatel.  At Berne a sudden diversion was given to the current of their thoughts by the intelligence of the death of Thomas Yeardley.  J.Y. has left a memorandum of the occurrence, and of the singular foreshadowing of it upon his own mind which took place at Zurich.

10 mo. 2. Berne.—­We found many letters from England waiting for us here, one of which, from my nephew John Yeardley, brought the sorrowful intelligence of the sudden and unexpected removal of my dearly-beloved brother Thomas, of Ecclesfield Mill.  This took place on the 6th of the Ninth Month, about 20 minutes past 2, without sigh or groan, even as a lamb.  These are the expressions of J.Y.; he adds several sweet expressions of my precious brother’s, which show that the solemn change to him was a joyful one:  and I do believe his tribulated spirit is now at rest.  On recurring to the 6th ultimo to see where we were, and what were the contemplations of my mind, I find we were at Zurich.  That morning the following lines which I heard when a child, and had not repeated for the last twenty years, came forcibly into my mind:—­

    It’s almost done, it’s almost o’er,
    We’re joining them that are gone before;
    We soon shall meet upon that shore
    Where we shall meet to part no more.