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John, a treacherous and false-hearted king, made, as it were, the land "desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger,' Jer. xxv. 38. But his tyranny prevailed not. What a fine burst of language is that, in which the prophet Isaiah rebukes those who are fearful of the oppression of man, and yet forgetful of the goodness of God! "Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor ?" Isaiah li. 12, 13. | The painted ceilings by Charles de la Foss, and the splendid groupes of flowers, by James Rousseau, are admirable productions. They remind me of the vivid pencillings of Le Brun, in the palace of Versailles. The more I look on them, the more I like them.

To describe the animals, birds, reptiles, fishes, and insects, the shells, minerals, fossils, petrifactions, and antiquities of this place, would be impossible; for there is not one department that would not furnish amusement for a week. They are all classed in a scientific manner; the carnivorous animals are separated from those that are granivorous; and the birds of prey from the aquatic and those that sing. From the diminutive humming bird to the stately ostrich; the feathered creation may here be seen in all their varied forms and gaudy plumage. The kite in the glass case there, reminds me of an anecdote that has just been related to

me.

"A respectable farmer in Scotland, after a walk over his farm, at the beginning of this year's lambing season, and on a very warm morning, fell asleep on a high hill. On awaking, he found that his broad blue bonnet, and a yellow silk handkerchief, which he had placed beside him, were both missing. At first, he suspected they had been taken away in sport by some person on the farm; but, on inquiry, every individual on the farm and neighbourhood, who could possibly have approached the spot, denied all knowledge of the missing articles. Some weeks after, our correspondent and a party were ascending a very steep

and dangerous rock on the farm, to destroy the nest of a glede, (kite.) Great was his amazement, when the first article taken out of the nest, was the missing yellow silk handkerchief; then the broad blue bonnet, with three eggs most comfortably ensconced in it; next appeared an old tartan waistcoat, with tobacco in one pocket, and Orr's Almanac, for 1839, in the other, the almanac having the words, scarcely legible, J. Fraser,' written upon it; then came a flannel nightcap, marked with red worsted, D. C. J.;' a pair of old white mittens, a piece of a letter with green wax, and the Inverness postmark, an old red and white cravat, and a miscellaneous assortment of remains of cotton, paper, and other things. This bird had, indeed, been a daring robber, and had carried on his extensive larcenies for a long time with impunity.”

Herculaneum and Pompeii have sent of their long buried stores to add to the costliness of this extended treasure house. Greek and Roman antiquities are here, and numerous idols of metal, stone and wood; terracottas, sculptures, vases, jars, and urns; with busts and figures, coins and medals, rings and curious seals. There are also beautiful specimens of precious stones, of all the kinds that are known, so that almost every shade of disposition may find something that will add to its gratification.

One of the most costly curiosities of the place, is the Portland Vase; for two hundred years, it was the principal ornament of a palace: it was found in the road between Rome and Frascati. By far the greater number of visitors pass this by, as a thing of little value, yet thousands of pounds would not purchase it.

What a number of mummies are here, and ornamented mummy cases! and yet this is London, and not Egypt. They set one thinking of the pyramids, of the statue of Memnon, and Thebes with her hundred gates, of the_idols, Orus, Apis, Isis, and Osiris. Here is a splendid mummy case, half opened, and the embalmed mummy half unswathed.

"And thou hast walked about, how strange a story!

In Thebes' streets, three thousand years ago, When the Memnonium was in all its glory,

And time had not begun to overthrow Those temples, palaces, and piles stupendous, Of which the very ruins are tremendous."

416

66

CHRIST'S COMMISSION TO THE APOSTLES-BLISSFUL ANTICIPATION.

It may not be so with all, but it is | fond of engravings, is a treat absolutely with many, that the very sight of these inexhaustible. Historical subjects, landremnants of former ages, drives away scapes, seascapes, architectural designs, much of doubt, and brings much of portraits, animals, birds, fishes, insects, certainty to the mind. We do, in ge- trees, shells, fossils, fruit, flowers, and neral, but half credit the annals of an- ornaments by the most eminent artists, tiquity we are, in a degree, sceptics, English and foreign, are kept in the while professing to believe the records nicest order. The connoisseur and amaof holy Writ; but these mummy cases teur may here revel in boundless vareprove us, and seem to say to us, "See riety.. The library is, perhaps, after all, and believe." While our sight and still more generally valuable than any senses are, beyond a doubt, convinced other part of the Museum, containing as it that these are the remains of ancient does, almost every book from which pleaEgypt, our faith is confirmed in the sure and information can be derived. The recorded verities of Scripture. Yes, it manuscripts are very numerous, and the is a truth, and we feel it as such, that persons in the reading room, where I 'Joseph was brought down to Egypt; am making my closing remarks, sufficiand Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, ently testify by their numbers and busy captain of the guard, an Egyptian, attention, how highly they estimate the bought him of the hands of the Ish- advantages of the institution. melites," Gen. xxxix. 1. It is a truth that Joseph sent for his father Jacob to dwell with him in the land of Egypt, and that "when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob revived." "It is enough," said he; "Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die," Gen. xlv. 27, 28. The miracles that God performed for his people, rise to our remembrance, and the plagues that were spread over the land, When Moses stretched his wonder-working rod,

And brought the locust on the foes of God;

When countless myriads with despoiling wing,
Scourged the hard heart of the Egyptian king.

I have wandered from one piece of
sculpture to another. Here the chisel
of Phidias, and there that of Praxiteles
has been at work giving an inestimable
value to stone. The Elgin marbles;
the relics of the Athenian temples; the
statues of Theseus, Illyssus, and the
Fates; the frieze of the Parthenon; the
alto-relievo representations of the strifes
of the Centaurs and the Lapithæ; the
Townley marbles, and the Egyptian
collection of sculpture, have all been
visited, and I could now sit me down
opposite this huge hieroglyphical sar-
cophagus, and muse and moralize. The
temples of olden time; the artists of
genius and talent, whose works are be-
fore us, and those to whose fame they
have vainly sought to give immortality
"Where are they?" The mutilated
marbles and time-worn inscriptions of
the most splendid works of art seem to
press on the reflective mind the lesson,
Gratefully enjoy the things of time,
but forget not those of eternity."

66

The print room, to those who are

CHRIST'S COMMISSION TO THE APOSTLES.

OUR Lord's commission to the apostles for preaching the gospel, was extensive as the human species. The middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles being demolished, those first ministers of Christ were not only permitted, but required, as Providence gave opportunity, to proclaim the glad tidings wherever they came, without any exception of nations, of rank, or of character. The prerogatives connected with carnal descent from Abraham, the covenant made at Sinai, and the Mosaic economy, being all abolished, those ambassadors of Heaven were commanded

to publish pardon, and proclaim peace, through Jesus Christ, by faith in his blood, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.-Booth.

BLISSFUL ANTICIPATION.

How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be, when all the millions of mankind, that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, shall meet together and stand around him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day, when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer? With what unknown delight, and inexpressible satisfaction, shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell, address the Lamb that was slain, and rejoice in his presence !-Dr. Watts.

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POWERSCOURT WATERFALL, COUNTY
WICKLOW, IRELAND.

THE glen of the waterfall is a deep mountain recess, environed on every side, except the entrance, by steep and lofty hills, adorned with wood and rock and broken ground, and sweeping down from every side with the greatest boldness and variety. The head of the recess is crossed by a mural precipice of denuded rock, down the front of which the river Glenisloreane falls perpendicularly a depth of three hundred feet. A velvet turf is spread over the undulating surface of the bottom of this glen, and majestic oaks of picturesque forms clothe the mountain sides, and climb the rocky precipice in front.

At a distance, the fall is seen partly gliding in frothy streams down the slop

ing surface of the moss-clad rocks, and partly dashing, in angry mood, against some projecting cliff, whence being rejected, it seems to vanish like the floating mists of morn. In the broken and varied foreground, a sloping bank protrudes, worn by the mountain torrent, which has bared the tenacious roots of the great monarch of the wood; confident in strength, he seems to disregard the persevering efforts of the stream that rolls so rapidly at his feet, to undermine his throne so long enjoyed: more in the distance still, less venerable oaks, candidates for that preeminence yielded by the leafy tribe to the royal inhabitant of the grove, fling their shady branches over the verdureclad lawn, and afford cool shelter to the "deer that desire the water brooks."Fisher's Views in Ireland.

THE SCOTCH FIR.
(Pinus Sylvestris.)

a, Male catkin. b, Another shedding its pollen c, Female catkin. d, Ripe cone. e, Cone expand ing to discharge its seeds. f, Winged seed.

NATURAL ORDER. Coniferæ, or Pinaceæ. LINNEAN ARRANGEMENT. Monoecia Monadelphia.

Barren Flowers placed at the end of the branches of the preceding year, and at the base of the

young shoots; in a deciduous catkin of numerous naked spreading stamens, connected by a common stalk. Calyx none. Filaments two or more, and very short, with a scale at their base, Anthers two on each stamen, erect, wedge-shaped, crowned by a jagged, membranous crest. Fertile Flowers on the summit of the shoots of the current year, generally in clusters of two together. Catkin eggshaped, or roundish, afterwards enlarged, conical and pointed, composed of numerous, imbricated, close, woody scales. Corolla none. Scales oblong, swelled at the upper extremity into a sort of pyramid truncate at the summit. Style, one to each germen. Stigma simple. Seeds two within each,

universal importance to mankind than this, whether we view it with reference to its timber or secretions. Gigantic in size, rapid in growth, noble in aspect, robust in constitution, these trees form a considerable proportion of every wood or plantation in cultivated countries, and of every forest where nature remains in a cultivated state." They clothe the interminable plains of northern Europe and America, and mantle the craggy heights of the Himalaya and the Andes. But, although this order ranks among its many species, the goodly cedar, the tufted larch, the spiry, spruce fir feathered to the ground, the fanciful arancaria, the silver fir, of graceful symmetry, the gloomy cypress, and the arbor vita; still our native species is universally allowed to be inferior to none of its brethren, either in useful properties, or picturesque grandeur of appearance.

Cesar has stated in his Commentaries, that the abies was not found in Britain, and hence much discussion has arisen, and many ingenious arguments brought forward to explain his meaning, as it is an indisputable fact, not only that the Scotch fir is indigenous to our island; but that at that early period the greater part of, at least, our northern districts, was completely overrun with trackless forests of this tree. The question admits of a very easy solution, if we consider, that by abies he intended the silver fir, a native of the southern parts of Europe, and but recently introduced among us. The mistake evidently arose from the name fir having been injudiciously applied to our native species, instead of that of pine, to which botanical genus it undoubtedly belongs. The pinus sylvestris was well known to the ancients, and a native of the -The pine, long-haired, and dark and tall, Alps, and many parts of Gaul; and

recurved scale, oval, each crowned with a membranous wing. The apex of the cone opens when the seeds are ripe, and changes in colour from green to reddish brown. Leaves linear, smooth, obtuse, and acuminated, arranged spirally on the branches in pairs within a scale. A tall, straight tree, with scaly, reddish brown bark. Flowers in May and June; but the cone does not attain its full size till the autumn of the following year.

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In lordly right predominates o'er all."

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L. HUNT.

The pine of mountain race,
The fir, the Scotch fir, never out of place."
CHURCHILL.

THE Scotch fir, or pine, is the only species of the natural order, Abietina, indigenous to this country; an order equally distinguished by the remarkable resemblance which prevails throughout the numerous and widely diffused families of which it is composed, their extreme utility to man, and their peculiar adaptation to the situation in which they are placed. "No order," says Lindley, "can be named of more

abies.

The

Cesar, in the passage alluded to, says
that Britain had all the trees of Gaul,
excepting the fagus and the
Both the spruce and silver firs are found
in many parts of France and Italy, but
are not indigenous in England.
difference between the two genera of
pinus and abies, is very slight, though
easy to be distinguished; in the former,
the leaves are long and spirally inserted
on the branch, two, three, or five being
grouped within one sheath; in the latter,
they are short, and inserted singly in
whorls round the branch. The habits
and properties of the two genera are

remarkably similar, and they are often indiscriminately mentioned by the poets, as applied to the same purpose.

"The adventurous fir that sails the vast profound, And pine fresh bleeding from the odorous wound."-HARTE'S STATIUS.

"The pine, with whom men through the ocean
venture,

The firre that oftentimes doth rosin drop."-
W. BROWNE.

wood, is quite fresh and elastic. Many vestiges yet remain of the vast forests, which there is every reason to believe, once extended over the hilly regions of Scotland, though they suffered much, in consequence of the scarcity of Norway deals during the last war, being felled, more than otherwise would have been

the case. Of the principal, yet remaining, we shall have occasion to speak hereafter; but in those districts which are now open, the remains of roots on the surface, and extensive peat mosses in which scarcely any other timber is found, prove that they formerly extended much further. In the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, this submerged timber is so abundant, that it forms an article of trade, as the vast quantity of turpentine which it contains renders it superior to any other fire wood; and among the peasants, slips of it are used as a substitute for candles.

Although an undoubted native of Scotland, the Scotch pine is found in every part of the north temperate zone, from grim Kamtschatka's desert plains, to the rocky chain of Caucasus. On the Alps, the Apennines, the Tyrol, and the Pyrennees, it skirts the region of eternal snows; and, in connexion with the spruce fir, extends over vast districts in Lapland, Russia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Austria. Of the Scandinavian forests, Dr. Clarke thus speaks:-"If the reader cast his eyes upon the map of Sweden, and imagine The pine attains to the greatest perthe Gulf of Bothnia to be surrounded fection in mountainous districts, in situby one continuous, unbroken forest, as ations and soils in which scarcely any ancient as the world, consisting prin- other tree will thrive. Its very name cipally of pine trees, with a few min-betokens that it is a native of the moungling birch and juniper trees, he will have a general and tolerably correct notion of the real appearance of the country. If the sovereigns of Europe were to be designated, each by some title, characteristic of the nature of their dominions, we might call the king of Sweden, Lord of the Woods; because, in surveying his territories, he might travel over a great part of his kingdom, from sunrise to sunset, and find no greater subjects than the trees of his forests. The population is everywhere small, because the whole country is covered with wood." Such was, no doubt, in former times, the condition of a large proportion of our island. The famous levels of Hatfield Chase, when drained in the seventeenth century, discovered vast multitudes of trees, of various sorts, the roots in their natural position, and the trunks lying beside them; one third, at least, of them are pines, and some of these were thirty feet in length. In the extensive peat mosses, or bogs, which are found in every part of Scotland, and afford fuel little inferior to coal, the remains of pine trees are very abundant, and principally in the most exposed districts; even when the damp and cold have reduced the birch to a pulp, and the oak to splinters, the heart of the pine, preserved by the resinous properties of the I

tain, being derived from the Celtic word, pen or pin, signifying rock or mountain, and is retained in the various languages derived from this as a common source. Thus the tree is known as peinge, in the Erse; pinna, in Welsh; pymbaum, in German; piner, in Anglo Saxon; pin, in French; and pino, in Italian. Hence also the term Appennines (or Alps pennines) mountains covered with pines, and the Spanish towns Pennafiel and Pennaflor, etc., which are amid the mountains; nor is it unlikely that the Scotch ben is derived from the same word. The more bleak and exposed the situation, and the more sterile the soil, the better timber is produced, because its growth is slower. A light hazelly loam, or the debris of granite, is best adapted to it. On clay or bog its growth is stunted, and it soon dies; on a rich soil, it grows rapidly, but the timber is inferior and perishable, being composed, for the most part, of sap wood.

The botanical student is aware that the dicotyledous plants of our northern countries deposit every year a fresh portion of wood within the bark, and that the circles, which are said to mark the yearly increase of the trunk, are produced by the check given by the severity of winter to the flow of the sap. He will also

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