LITTLE BEAR.-POINTERS.-JUPITER.-VE NUS. GLOBE.-FORM OF THE EARTH. DIURNAL ROTATION OF THE EARTH ON ITS AXIS. ELIZABETH. How much pleased my cousin Charlotte seems to have been with what she saw upon the Continent! When I heard her description of the Alps, I longed to have been with her in Switzerland. B MOTHER. I have no doubt that you would enjoy travelling very much, but you must not imagine that it would afford you so much pleasure, at present, as it appears to have given Charlotte. She is older than you, and at your age a very few years make a greater difference in the understanding than you would suppose; and from the variety of useful information that she had acquired at home, she was prepared to make good use of all she saw in other countries. You know yourself how much more you are interested by seeing and hearing of things you understand, than when the subject is entirely new to you. ELIZABETH. That is the reason why the second day's visit to an exhibition, or a museum, gives us so much more pleasure than the first. MOTHER. Yes; at first, every thing appears confused, your eye hardly knows where to fix itself, and you cannot really enjoy the objects presented to you until you have begun to be acquainted with them. But it is not improbable that you may travel in a few years; and the way to do so with advantage, is first to learn well what you can be taught in your own country, which I am sure you will try to do. This reminds me of a plan that I thought of proposing to you the other day; I intend to give William some lessons in Astronomy and Geography, before he returns to school, and I think you cannot do better than go over again with him what you have already learned. WILLIAM. Pray, do, Elizabeth; it will be more pleasant for both of us; and you can help me very much, I dare say. ELIZABETH. I should like it of all things; but I am afraid I cannot be of much assistance to you. MOTHER. It is so very clear and mild this evening, that we may go into the garden and begin now. Look up, and tell me whether you perceive any thing remarkable? WILLIAM. Nothing that I have not seen before; a great many stars, more than I think I could ever reckon, shining in the clear blue sky, and twinkling beautifully. MOTHER. They are not quite so numerous as you suppose; but I shall not yet ask you to count them. WILLIAM. That would be impossible. MOTHER. You shall judge for yourself by and bye. Do all the stars that you see in the different parts of the sky, appear to be alike? WILLIAM. Not exactly; some are much larger and brighter than others. MOTHER. You observe the four brilliant stars placed nearly in the form of a square, as I will now show you. with three others almost in a line, turning off from one of the corners; [See Plate 1, fig. 1.] These you will find always keep their places with respect to each other, and this group of stars is called the Great Bear, from its imaginary resemblance to a bear with a long tail: I dare say you |