ye echoes! Let all nature, in harmonious coneert, chant his honour! And thou, O man, lord of this lower world, mingle thy thanksgiving with the universal song! God has done more for thy happiness than for all the rest: he has given thee an immortal spirit, which enables thee to comprehend the structure of the universe, and to become acquainted with the springs of nature.

Praise him when the sun rises from his ruddy bed, and paints the east with glory; praise him when his departing beams faintly irradiate the western horizon: with the voice of universal nature, unite thy accents, tuned to his praise. Praise him in the rainy and in the dry seasons; in the tempest and in the calm; when the snow falls, when the ice stops rivers in their course, and when verdure covers the face of the earth. Exalt him for thy own salvation: when thou soarest up to him, all low desires and base inclinations shall leave thy heart, and thou shalt retire with greater ele vation of thought and purity of soul.

OCTOBER I.

A Hymn in Praise of God.

ALL the hosts of heaven glorify the power and majesty of the Creator; and all the spheres which roll n the immensity of space celebrate the wisdom of his works. The sea, the mountains, the forests, and the deeps, all created by a single act of his will, are the heralds of his love, and the messengers of his power.

Shall I alone be silent, and not chant hymns to his praise? My soul longs to soar up to his throne; and though my language may be feeble, my tears will express the love which I feel for my heavenly Father and Protector. Though my tongue falter, and my broken accents declare my weakness, the most high God sees through my heart, and gladly receives the pure incense which ever burns there on his holy altar. But how shall I praise thee, who art far above all praise? Could I take the sunbeams for my pencil, I could not sketch a single ray of thy essence. The purest spirits can offer thee but imperfect praise. By what power do millions of suns shine with so much splendour? Who has marked out the wonderful course of those revolving spheres? What

chain unites them, and what power influences them? It is the breath, the word of Jehovah our God.

The Lord called the worlds, and they moved in their spheres through the space of heaven. Then was our world produced; the birds, the fish, the cattle, and the wild beasts that sport in the forests; and to complete all came man to inhabit the earth, and receive joy in its productions. Our sight is delighted with smiling and varied prospects; our eyes wander over the green plains, or contemplate forests that seem to rise into the clouds; they view the sparkling dewdrops of morning that water the flowers, or they pursue the windings of the limpid stream which reflects the trees.

To break the force of the winds, and to offer us the most lovely views of nature, the mountains rear their lofty summits, and from them flow the purest streams. The dry valleys and parched fields are watered by rain and dew, and the air is cooled with the gentle breeze.

It is our God who directs the spring to unfold a green carpet under our feet; it is he who gilds the ears of corn, and tinges the grapes with their purple hue; and when cold descends to benumb nature, he wraps her in a pure mantle. Through him the human mind penetrates the abode of the stars, recalls the past, anticipates the future, and discerns the evidence of truth from the delusion of error; and by his power we conquer death, and escape from the tomb. Unto the mighty God of the universe then be ascribed all honour, glory, and renown, for ever and ever.

OCTOBER II.

Effects of Fire.

NOTHING in nature can exceed the violent effects of fire; and the extreme rapidity with which ignited particles are put in motion is altogether astonishing. But how few people attend to these effects, or deem them worthy of their observation! Yet in our domestic affairs we daily experience the beneficial influence of fire, and perhaps on this very account we are less attentive. I wish, then, in the present re flection, to make my readers call to mind this great bless. ing of Providence, and, if possible, cause them to feel its full value.

One effect of fire, and which must be familiar to every person, is that of dilating such bodies as are exposed to its influence. A piece of iron made to fit a hole in a plate of metal, so that it easily passes through when cold, being heated cannot be made to enter; but upon being again cooled, readily passes into the hole as at first. This dilation, caused by the heat, is still more perceptible in fluid bodies, as spirits, water, and more particularly air; and upon this principle our thermometers are constructed.

If we observe the effects of fire upon compact and inanimate substances, we shall find that they soon begin to melt, and are changed partly into a fluid and partly into a solid of a different nature. It communicates fluidity to ice, oil, and all fat substances, and most of the metals. These bodies are rendered susceptible of such changes, from their combination being more simple and their particles more homogeneal than those of other bodies. The fire consequently penetrates their pores more readily, and succeeds sooner in separating the parts from each other. Hence some of these matters evaporate when the fire penetrates them in two great a quantity, or with too much force. Some solid bodies undergo other changes; sand, flint, slate, quartz, and spar, become vitrified in the fire clay is converted into stone; marble, calcareous stones, and chalk, are changed into lime. The diversity of these effects does not proceed from the fire, but from the different properties of the bodies upon which it acts. It may produce three kinds of effects upon the same body; it may melt, vitrify, and reduce it to lime, provided that the matter possesses the three necessary properties of being metallic, vitrifiable, and calcareous. Thus fire of itself produces nothing new; it only develops in bodies those principles which before its action were not perceptible.

Upon fluids fire produces two effects; it makes them boil, and converts them into vapour. These vapours are formed of the most subtile particles of the fluid separated by the fire, and they ascend in the air because they are specifically lighter than that fluid. In living creatures fire produces the sensation of heat in every part of the body: without this element man could not preserve life; a certain degree of heat is necessary to give vitality and motion to the blood, for which purpose we are constantly inhaling fresh air,

which always contains the matter of heat, and imparts it to the blood in the lungs, whilst this organ of respiration expels the air that has lost its vivifying properties.

The above reflections ought to confirm in our minds the important truth, that Providence has constantly in view the welfare of man, and is ever giving us proofs of his divine love. How numerous are the advantages which the effects of fire alone procure us! By the intimate union of fire and air the seasons are renewed, the moisture of the soil and the health and life of man supported; by the action of fire water is put in motion, organized bodies are brought to a state of perfection, the branch is preserved in the bud, the plant in the seed, and the embryo in the egg; it serves to prepare our food, contributes to the formation of metals, and renders them fit for use.

In short, when we collect the different properties of fire, we must be convinced of the numerous blessings which the Creator has by its means diffused over the globe; a truth which ought to call forth our love and gratitude for the Author of our being, and fill our minds with contentment and a perfect reliance upon God.

OCTOBER III.

The Instinct and Industry of Birds.

BIRDS afford us many innocent pleasures, and now that some of them are about to disappear for a considerable space of time, let us bestow a little attention upon them, that their presence may rejoice us, and make us think with gratitude and pleasure upon God, who is their Creator as well as ours. It is very pleasing to observe the different instincts which he has given to them. None of these instincts are useless or superfluous, each is indispensably necessary to the preservation and well-being of the bird; and however little we know of them, it is sufficient to give the highest ideas of the wisdom and goodness of God.

When we reflect upon that particular instinct which incites birds to move, we may find in that alone just cause of admiration. Experience convinces us that corporeal motion requires something more than mere strength, and limbs supple and well formed. It is not till after many essays

and falls that we can preserve our balance, walk with ease, run, leap, sit down, and rise up again; and yet to a body constructed as is ours, these motions seem to be much easier than they are to birds. These animals also have only two feet, but their bodies do not rest perpendicularly upon them; they project before as well as behind, and yet a chicken will stand upright, and run about almost as soon as it leaves the egg. Young ducks which have been hatched by a hen know their own element, and swim in the water without having been directed by example or instruction. Other birds know how to rise from their nests into the air, balance themselves, and pursue their course through the air, making equal strokes with their wings; stretch their feet, spread out their tails, using them as oars, and perform long voyages to countries very remote from the place of their nativity.

How admirable also is the art which they use to obtain a subsistence; an art which they bring into the world with them! Certain birds, though not aquatic, live upon fish; consequently they ought to find it more difficult to seize their prey than is the case with water-fowl. Who teaches them this instinct? They stand on the brink of the water, and when they perceive at a distance a shoal of fish advancing, they pursue them, skim along the surface, and suddenly plunging in the water seize upon a fish, Who has given to birds of prey their piercing eye, courage, and wea pons, without which they could not obtain the means of subsistence? Who teaches the stork where to find frogs and insects to feed upon? To procure them she must carefully traverse the meadows, and seek them in the furrows of the field; and she must prolong her search till morning, when other birds begin to awake. What incredible strength the condor must possess, since it is said to carry off a deer, and prey upon an ox! How can we reconcile with the savage nature of the quail that maternal instinct, which makes her adopt young birds of any species, and not only take them under her protection, but lavish upon them her most tender cares? What cunning the crow uses to hide the prey which she cannot devour at once! She carefully conceals it in places that other crows are not liable to frequent; and when hunger again presses her, she well knows the magazine where she had hoarded her treasure.