When we look around us, and see the various objects of nature, the glorious sun, moon, and stars-the

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trees and plants-the mountains, hills, and plains-together with the mighty ocean-with all the hosts of living creatures that the world contains; and, especially, when we look at ourselves, and consider how "fearfully and wonderfully we are made," the first thought that presents itself to us is how powerful and good must that Being be, who has made, and who preserves the whole. We have no doubt but that this just and natural reflection has been often present to the minds of our young readers, and it is to improve their acquaintance with those subjects that these articles are composed, for their instruction and delight.

You are too young to understand the deep mysteries of the order of creation, but you are quite old enough to observe the sun shining in his glory-the moon walking in brightness-and the hosts of stars that shine so brilliantly, like golden lamps, in a clear winter's evening. These you have observed, no doubt, many times; and we hope you are desirous to know something about them. Now that desire is most proper; and, as we hope you are good children, and will pay great attention to all you read, we shall endeavour to make the subject so plain, that you cannot possibly make a mistake about it.

You must not suppose that this earth, on which we live, is the only world which God has made for the abode of his rational creatures. Mankind, for many thousands of years, were of this opinion; but the discoveries of modern science have demonstrated it to be erroneous. Indeed, it would be below the wisdom, and the love of

God, to have confined his power-to bless and make happy-to one little globe, when he could with equal ease, bestow his favours upon millions. In fact, this world is only a small part-a mere point-in the vast universe of worlds, by which we are surrounded. We shall shew you, by and by, that every star is a sun, giving life and light to surrounding globes, as our sun does to us; and, in the mean time, we request each of our readers to impress upon their minds and memories, the following beautiful lines,

"Bright legions swarm unseen, and sing unheard

By mortal ear; the glorious architect,

In this, his universal temple, hung
With lustres, with innumerable lights,
That shed religion on the soul,-at once
The temple and the preachers."

We shall now proceed to explain what is called the solar system. The engraving at the head of this article represents the sun, with the various planets, &c. revolving round him in their respective orbits, and will, if attentively considered, convey to the youthful mind, a tolerably correct idea of the way in which the various bodies, composing the solar system, move round their parent luminary.

We have said that every star is a sun. That glorious luminary, which makes our day, is one of them; and is millions of millions of miles nearer to us than the nearest of the stars. The sun is surrounded by eleven bodies, called planets; which revolve, or go round him, as their

centre in a greater or less period of time, according to their greater or less distance from him-and which revolution determines the length of their year. These planets have been named-1, Mercury-2, Venus-3, Earth-4, Mars-5, Juno-6, Vesta-7, Pallas-8, Ceres-9, Jupiter-10, Saturn-11, Herschel, or Georgium Sidus-and their annual path round the sun is called their orbit. These orbits are not circular, but elliptical, or longer one way than the other, so that the planet in one part of its orbit is much nearer to the source of day than in another part.

Besides their annual motion round the sun, each of the planets has a daily motion round its own centre, which is called its axis, and which causes the grateful vicissitudes of day and night. You may illustrate these two motions, by a very simple experiment. Place a candle in the centre of a hoop, so as to have the lower half depressed, and the higher half raised twenty-three and-a-half degrees; then suspend an orange by a string, and as you carry it slowly round the hoop, it will represent the planets' annual path in the heavens: you will find that the orange slowly turns round, so that every part of it is alternately enlightened by the candle, and involved in darkness, which will represent to you the succession of day and night.

Besides the sun, and the eleven planets, the solar system consists of eighteen satelites, or moons, and an unknown number of comets. The satelites are secondary planets, which revolve round some of the primary

ones, in the same manner as these latter do round the sun: the earth has one-Jupiter, four-Saturn, sevenHerschel, six-and others may yet be discovered. The comets are probably worlds, in an early state of their formation; or they may be connecting links designed to bring the whole universe together, by some law of infinite wisdom, at present unknown to us.

In our future articles, we shall explain each of these particulars to you, more at large, and shall tell you many things, which will excite your wonder, and lead you, we would hope, to a more fervent trust in, and love for, your Creator. Let what you have now learnt, impress upon your minds, these important truths-that as without the heat and light of the sun, animal and vegetable life could not continue to exist,—so, neither can the soul of man enjoy true life, but by the influence of the love and truth of God, as shewn in the works of creation and Providence, and in the Sacred Scriptures :-and, that as the beauty and perfection of the universe depends upon its several parts, so the beauty and utility of society, and especially of the family at home, can only be secured by every one doing his duty, and filling his appointed station, from proper and right ends.

In our next, we shall explain to you, various matters connected with the sun.

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