along the western horizon, with their fine, sharp angles pointed to the north. All objects gave portent of a coming

storm.

Near an hour had elapsed; and we yet listened in vain for the roll of oars. I could endure it no longer, and set off at top speed towards the bay. A whale-boat had been launched, when I arrived; a strong crew were seated at the oars; I had just time to leap into her stern-sheet; and, a moment after, she was seen, by those at the fishing-place, to shoot out from the covert of the bay, and make, with the swiftness of a glance, towards the point round which the floe had disappeared.

It was after doubling this point, that the floe became visible to those in the boat, driving directly upon the reef; and the long, heaving swells, which began to roll in, and break over the rocks, gave little hopes that the unfortunate youths could survive the first shock of striking. They hailed our appearance with a shriek of delight, and rushing distractedly from the margin of the ice next the danger, to the side where we were approaching, watched our advance with fearful earnestness.

men

" Pull away, for life and death, !' shouted Derk, as he bent to the stroke of the oar with the power of an Ajax, 'a dozen more such hearty sweeps, and we'll have 'em!' The exertion of the oarsmen was redoubled. The boat absolutely sprung from billow to billow. Her keel trembled with her intense celerity. We neared the floe. It was not three oars length from the reef. One more sweep; and the light side of the whale-boat grazed the ice, as she rounded gracefully to, while the exhausted lads threw themselves into the arms of their deliverers.

The instant order of 'stern all!' was obeyed with hearts abounding with thanksgiving. 'Look, lads!' cried the whaler, and see what kind of death you are saved from.' The floe, as it rose, in dark grandeur, upon the bosom of a large swell, one moment lingered on the summit of a wave, the next, the great deep shrunk away from beneath it; and, descending upon the peak of a sunken rock, with a crash like the explosion of a broadside, the vast mass was shattered into a thousand fragments.

EXERCISE LXVI.

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH.- Longfellow

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;.
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;

His brow is wet with honest sweat;
He earns whate'er he can,

And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge
With measured beat and slow,

Like the sexton ringing the bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school,
Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks, that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
And he hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,

And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!

He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard rough hand he wipes
The tears out of his eyes.

Toiling, - rejoicing,

sorrowing,

Onward through life he goes;

Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;

Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus, at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought!

EXERCISE LXVII.

SPOTS ON THE SUN - Dr. Dick.

We err most egregiously, when we attempt to compare the substances and the puny operations which we see around us on the globe we inhabit, with what takes place on so stupendous a globe as the sun; whose constitution must be so immensely different from that of the planetary bodies, and from every thing within the range of our observation on this earth. We talk of volcanoes, of lava, of boiling metals, of bituminous matter, of dens, and caverns, and fiery flames in the sun, as if they were as common there, as with us; whereas there is every reason to believe, that nothing similar to any of these is to be found in the constitution of this vast luminary.

From a variety of observations, it is now pretty well determined that the solar spots are depressions, and not elevations, and that the black nucleus of every spot is the opaque body of the sun, seen through an opening in the luminous atmosphere with which it is environed. This was first ascertained by numerous observations made by the late Dr. Wilson, professor of astronomy in the university of Glasgow. From various micrometrical estimates and calculations, the Doctor was led to the conclusion, that the depth of the nucleus, or dark part, of the spots was, in several instances, from two thousand to nearly four thousand miles.

In order to confirm his theory, he constructed a globe representing the sun, with certain hollows cut out to represent the spots or excavations, which were painted black with Indian ink; and the slopes, or shelving sides, of the excavations, were distinguished from the brightness of the external surface, by a shade of the pencil, which increased towards the external border. When this artificial sun was fixed in a proper frame, and examined at a great distance with a telescope, the shading and the dark spot exhibited the same phenomena which are observed on the real sun.

Sir William Herschel, with his powerful telescopes, made numerous observations on the solar spots, and arrived at the same conclusion with Dr. Wilson, that the dark centre of the spots, is the opaque body of the sun, appearing through the openings in its atmosphere, and that the luminous surface of the sun is neither a liquid substance nor an elastic fluid, but luminous or phosphoric clouds floating in the solar atmosphere. He conceived, from the uniformity of color in the shading or shallows of the spots, that, below these self-luminous clouds, there is another stratum of clouds, of inferior brightness, which is intended as a curtain, to protect the solid and opaque body of the sun from the intense brilliancy and heat of the luminous clouds; and that the luminous strata are sustained far above the level of the solid body, by a transparent elastic medium, carrying on its upper surface, or at some considerably lower level within its depth, a cloudy stratum, which, being strongly illuminated from above, reflects a considerable portion of the light to our eyes, and forms a haze, while the solid body, shaded by the clouds, reflects little or none.'

It might here form a subject of inquiry, whether there be any reason to believe that the sun is inhabited. Most astronomers have been disposed to answer this question in the negative. Sir W. Herschel, however, and several others, consider it as not altogether improbable, that the sun is peopled with rational beings. Viewing this luminary as consisting of a dark, solid nucleus, surrounded by two strata of clouds, the outermost, the region of that light and heat which is diffused to the remotest parts of the system, they conceived that the interior stratum was intended to protect the inhabitants of the sun from the fiery blaze of the sphere of light and heat, with which they are surrounded.

On either side of this question it becomes us to speak with

diffidence and modesty. We ought not to set limits to the wisdom and arrangements of the Creator, by affirming that rational beings could not exist and find enjoyment on such a globe as the sun, on account of the intensity of light and heat which forever prevails in that region. For it is probable, that the luminous matter that encompasses the solid globe of the sun, does not derive its splendor from any intensity of heat. If this were the case, the parts underneath, which are perpetually in contact with that glowing matter, would be heated to such a degree as to become luminous and bright, whereas we find that they have uniformly a dark appearance; so that it is possible the interior region of the sun may be in a state of comparatively low temperature.

For any thing we know to the contrary, or can demonstrate, the sun may be one of the most splendid and delightful regions of the universe; and scenes of magnificence and grandeur may be there displayed, far surpassing any thing that is to be found in the planets which revolve around it; and its population may as far exceed in number that of other worlds, as the immense size of this globe exceeds that of all the other bodies in the system. But, on the other hand, we know too little of the nature and constitution of the sun, and the plans of Divine Wisdom, to warrant us to make any positive assertions on this point. Although no intelligent beings were connected with this great luminary, its boundless influence in the planetary system; its being the soul and centre of surrounding worlds; its diffusing light, and heat, and genial influences of various kinds, to all the tribes of their inhabitants; and its cementing them all, by its attractive energy, in one harmonious system, are reasons sufficient for the creation of this vast globe; without the influence of which perpetual darkness would ensue; the planets would start from their spheres, and the whole system soon become one universal wreck.

RULE FOR THE READING OF SCIENTIFIC DESCRIPTIONS.

Descriptive passages of an exact and SCIENTIFIC character, like the preceding, should be read MORE SLOWLY, MORE DISTINCTLY, and with STRONGER EMPHASIS and LONGER PAUSES, than ordinary descriptions.