when we are well, and for our relief when sick. They also support those animals whose use we could not dispense with such as the ox, upon which we feed, and whose services are used in agriculture: the horse, whose uses are so numerous and various; and the cow, whose milk is so nourishing. These, with many other useful animals, require nothing more than the grass of the meadow, which demands neither sowing nor labour; its produce is certain, and the farmer has no other trouble than to collect what nature exuberantly gives him.

But it is melancholy to reflect that men are generally too much absorbed in worldly cares to be attentive or sensible to the bounty of God lavished in nature: they see with indifference the fields clothed with grass; whether because springing up under their feet they think it unworthy of notice, or because it grows spontaneously without their assistance. Whatever be the cause of this indifference, it is a reproach to the human character, and deserving of the severest reprehension. Let us then beseech the Almighty Power, to whom we owe all our earthly good and hopes of future bliss, that when we walk forth into the meadows and the valleys, our hearts may be grateful, and softened with the dew of heaven; that when we behold all the beautiful variety of flowers that adorn the fields, we may be more sensible to the goodness of God, who extends his omnipotent arm over the whole creation, showering down his bless. ings as from a never-failing, never-dying spring, whose silent waters exuberantly pour upon the whole earth.

JULY XVII.

Morning Twilight.

TWILIGHT, like every other phenomenon of nature, is doubtless intended for our benefit. It is nothing more than a prolongation of day, which at one time prepares our eyes to support the brilliancy of day, at another to bear the darkness of night. The twilight is not always the same; it differs according to climate and season. Towards the poles it continues longer than in the torrid zone, where the people see the sun rise directly above the horizon, and dip in the same direction beneath the lower hemisphere; hence

they suddenly pass from the light of day into total darkness. Whilst on the contrary, the sun darting his rays obliquely towards the poles, and not descending far below the horizon of the neighbouring people, it happens, that their nights, though long, are almost always accompanied by twilight, and therefore are in some degree luminous.

As for us, who are placed at nearly an equal distance from the inhabitants of the torrid and those of the frigid zone, we plainly observe that the twilight becomes sensibly shorter as the length of the days diminishes, and longer in proportion as they lengthen. In the evening, after the sun sets, we enjoy an hour, and sometimes more, of twilight. This useful arrangement is owing to the atmosphere, which to a certain height every where surrounds the earth. And such is its nature, that the rays of light that pass through it perpendicularly are not diverted from their straight direc tion; but when the rays fall obliquely instead of passing in right lines, they bend or are refracted, descending a little lower, in such a manner that the greater number of rays which penetrate the atmosphere on the side of the earth, fall in consequence of this inflection upon it; and thus, instead of passing directly through the air, they are bent by it and directed towards the earth. Thus when the sun approaches our horizon, many of his rays which pass near us in an oblique direction, and which would not reach ùs, meeting the volume of air which surrounds our earth, become refracted by it, so as to affect our vision in such a way that we see day-light some time before the sun appears.

This law of the refraction of the rays of light in the surrounding mass of air, is a work equally full of wisdom and goodness towards all the people of the earth; and more particularly so to the inhabitants of the frigid zones, who without the blessing of twilight would be for whole months in a state of total darkness. Perhaps this explanation of the origin of twilight may not be sufficiently intelligible to many readers. Recommending such as these to consult the works of more enlightened philosophers for fuller information on the subject, let us conclude with reflecting upon it as rational beings and as Christians. To do this nothing more is requisite than a willing mind and a pure heart, that seeks to glorify the Father of mercy. And the upright man who, however unlettered and deficient in learn

ing, ever finds cause to bless the Creator in his works, is wiser than the philosopher who, intent upon explaining and investigating the phenomena of nature, loses sight of that great Being who created the light and formed the universe.

COME, and let us tasted by the wise.

JULY XVIII.

Rural Pleasures.

enjoy those pleasures which are only The pure light of the sun invites us into the fields, where an innocent and refined joy awaits us. Let us walk into some flowery valley, and sing a hymn of praise to our Creator.

See the breath of the zephyr gently playing upon yon hawthorn bush: where the little songsters are hopping from bough to bough, their sprightly eyes beaming joy, and their soft melody warbling harmonious love!

Ye tufted groves, ye valleys, and ye mountains, so peculiarly favoured with the gifts of summer, how your view gratifies and delights the pure soul! your attractions owe nothing to art, and they are more excellent than the proudest beauties of the garden.

The yellow grain waves luxuriant, and invites the sickle of the joyful reaper. The trees crowned with leaves overshadow the hills and the glens: the birds rejoice in their existence; they sing their pleasures, and every note pours forth rapturous joy.

Each year renews the treasures of the peaceful husbandman; freedom and the smile of happiness lighten his serene countenance, that speaks a soul at ease. Remote from the iniquity, the pride, the baseness, and sordid cares, which enslave and render callous the hearts of those who herd together in cities, he rises to inhale the sweet breath of morning, and lies down upon his humble couch at peace with his God, himself, and mankind.

JULY XIX.

Evening Twilight.

THE evening twilight is that faint light which after sun-set continues still to illumine our atmosphere, particularly

towards the west. It is partly occasioned by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in our atmosphere, and in part by the proper atmosphere of the sun, which is known by the name of zodiacal light, which sometimes appears particularly in spring, towards the evening, and in autumn' towards morning. When the sky is clear we may see the smallest stars during the twilight; which continues from the time the sun has entirely disappeared till dark night, generally lasting about two hours. In the island of Senegal, where the nights are nearly as long as the days, the twilight only continues a few moments; the interval between sunset and the darkness of night being scarcely a quarter of an hour. Thus as soon as the sun has sunk from ten to fifteen degrees below the horizon, the whole country is immersed in the profoundest darkness.

In our climate the shortest twilight is about the first of March, and the eleventh of October. When the northern declination of the sun is such that he only passes eighteen degrees below the horizon, the twilight continues all night. And this is the reason that in the summer solstice we have in these climates scarcely any night, and in the more northern climates they have no night at all, though the sun is below the horizon. This occurs, when the difference between the depression of the equator and the northern declination of the sun is less than eighteen degrees; and takes place in the greater part of Germany from the 17th of May, to the 25th of July.

The advantages which we derive from twilight are very evident. To pass at once from broad day to dark night would be very inconvenient; such a sudden change from light to darkness would hurt the organs of vision. The wise Author of nature has therefore prevented these inconveniences, by giving us an atmosphere which prevents us from losing the light suddenly, although the sun is below the horizon; and thus, by means of the twilight, we pass by insensible degrees from the light of day to the obscurity of night.

JULY XX.

The Ephemeron Fly.

THIS species of insect is named ephemeron, because of its very short existence in the fly state. It is one of the most beautiful species of the small flies, and undergoes five changes. At first the egg contains its vital principle; it then comes forth a small caterpillar, which is transformed into a chrysalis, then into a nympha, and lastly into a fly, which deposits its eggs upon the surface of water, where the sun's rays bring them to life. Each egg produces a little red worm, which moves in a serpentine manner. They are found in abundance, during the summer, in ponds and marshes; and as soon as cold weather sets in, the little worm makes for itself a shell or lodging, where it passes the winter; at the end of which it ceases to be a worm, and enters into its third state, that of a chrysalis. In this state it sleeps till spring, and gradually becomes a beautiful nympha, or a sort of mummy, something in the form of a fish.

At the time of its metamorphosis the nympha appears inactive and lifeless; in six hours the head is visible, raising itself gradually above the surface of the water; the body next disengages itself slowly and by degrees, till at length the whole animal comes out of its shell. The new-born fly remains for some minutes motionless upon the water; then gradually revives, and feebly shakes its wings; then moves them quicker, and attempts first to walk, then to fly. As these insects are all hatched nearly at the same time, they are seen in swarms for a few hours flitting and playing upon the surface of the water. The male and female then unite and couple together for two more hours, when they again return to their sports, lay their eggs, and soon after die. Thus they terminate their short life in the space of a few hours, and the same day that saw them born witnesses their death.

From the history of these little creatures we may learn how fallacious are the opinions which we form of our lives in regard to eternity. Let us for a moment imagine, that one of these flies had preserved its life for twelve hours, and had thus arrived at the most advanced age, compared with