207 living insects. In every drop of water, creatures are discovered, whose means of support, as well as their multiplying, are incomprehensible. Immensely rich as nature is in living animals, so is she equally fruitful in means for their subsistence; or rather, it is the Creator who has poured into her bosom this inexhaustible source of riches. Through him each creature finds its food and dwelling. It is for them he causes the grass to grow, leaving each to choose its proper food. And none of them are in his sight too insignificant to disdain his casting upon them an eye of pity, and to assist them in their wants. In this is thy greatness manifest, O Almighty God! What no man, nor monarch, nor even all the men and monarchs on earth could do, Thou dost it, O Creator! Thou feedest every animal! Thou feedest the raven that calls upon Thee, and every insect that lives in the air, in the earth, or in the water! And will he not do for us what he does for them? If ever doubts or fears possess our souls, let us reflect upon the creatures of whom he takes daily care. Let the birds of the air, the wild beasts of the desert, and those millions of creatures which man takes no care of, teach us the art of living contentedly. He who clothes the flowers of the field, who gives food to all animals, the great Author of nature, knows all our wants. Let us, therefore, have recourse to him in our afflictions. Only let our prayers be with faith and sincerity.

APRIL IV.

Sun-rise.

HAVE you sometimes been a witness of the superb phenomenon which the rising sun every day affords? Or has idleness, the love of sleep, or

a faulty indifference, prevented you from contemplating this wonder of nature? Perhaps you may be ranked amongst the multitude of people who never thought a sight of the Aurora worth the sacrifice of some hours sleep. Perhaps you are like many others, who, satisfied with the light of the sun, do not trouble themselves with inquiring into the cause of this great effect. Or, lastly, perhaps you are as insensible as millions of your fellow-creatures, who have it in their power to behold this glorious object every day, see it with. out being struck with it, or without its raising any idea or pleasing reflection in their minds. It matters little in which of these you rank. Suffer yourself only to be now at least roused from this state of insensibility, and learn what thoughts the sight of the morning sun ought to excite in your soul. There is no phenomenon in nature more beautiful and splendid than the rising sun. The richest dress that human art can invent, the finest decorations, the most pompous equipage, the most superb ornaments in the palaces of kings, vanish and sink to nothing, when compared with this beauty of nature. At first, it is the eastern region of the sky which is clothed in the purple of Anrora, and announces the sun's approach. The air, by degrees, takes the bloom of a rose, and then shines with the lustre of gold. Afterwards the rays of the sun pierce through the mist, and with them light and heat are spread over the whole horizon. At last, the sun appears in all the splendour of majesty. It rises visibly higher and higher, and the earth assumes a different aspect; every creature rejoices, and seems to receive new being. The birds, with songs of joy, salute the source of light. Every animal begins to move; and they feel themselves animated with new strength and spirits.

Praise the Lord, O my soul! Let my songs of praise also reach the heavens, the heaven where

he dwells, by whose command the sun rises, and whose hand so guides its daily and its annual course, that we draw from it the happy revolution of night and day, and the regular succession of the seasons. Raise thyself, my soul, towards the Father of lights, and set forth his majesty. Celebrate him, by a pious confession of thy dependance on him, and by actions that are pleasing in his sight. Behold! all nature proclaims order and harmony. The sun and all the stars run their course. Each season yields its fruit. Each day renews the splendour of the sun. Who would, in the midst of the active creation, be the only one to neglect praising his Creator, by proving his virtue and faith? Rather let our pious zeal teach the infidel, how great, how worthy of adoration, that God is whom he despises. Let the tranquillity of our souls, and trust in him, teach the vicious how mild and merciful that God is, before whom he justly trembles. Let us be toward our fellow-creatures what he is to us. Let us te to them what the -sun is to the whole universe. As it sheds daily its benign influence on the earth; as it rises for the ungrateful as well as the righteous; as it shines ou the humble valleys, as it does on the highest mountains; so let us make our lives useful, beneficent, and a comfort to others. Let each day increase the charitable disposition of our hearts. Let us do good to all, according to our abilities, and without respect to persons. In a word, let us endeavour to live and act, so that our lives may be a blessing to mankind.

APRIL V.

Wonderful Construction of the Ear.

THE ear, it is true, in respect to beauty, mast give place to the eye. However, it is perfectly well-formed, and is no less a master-piece of the creative hand. In the first place, the position of the ear shews much wisdom. It is placed in the most convenient part of the body, near the brain, the common seat of all the senses. The outward form of the ear is worthy our admiration. It greatly resembles a muscle; but has neither the softness of mere flesh, nor the hardness of bone, If it was only flesh, its upper part would fall down over the orifice, and would prevent the communication of sounds. If, on the contrary, it had been composed of hard bones, it would be very painful and inconvenient to lie on either side. For this reason the Creator formed the outward part of the ear of a gristly substance, which has the consistence, the polish, and the folds, most proper to reflect sounds; for the use of all the external parts is to collect and convey them to the bottom of the ear. The interior construction of this organ must still more excite our admiration. There is in the shell of the ear an opening, which they call the auditory pipe. The entrance of it is furnished with little hairs, which serve as a bar, to keep insects from pene. trating into it; and it is for the same purpose that the ear is moistened with a substance that is conglutinous and bitter, which separates itself from the glands. The drum of the ear is placed obliquely in the auditory pipe: this part of the car really resembles a drum; for, in the first place, there is in the cavity of the auditory pipe a bony ring, on which is stretched a round mem.

brane, dry and thin: in the second place, there is, under that skin, a string stretched tight, which does here the same service as that of the drum; for it increases, by its vibrations, the vibration of the drum of the ear, and serves sometimes to extend, and sometimes to relax the membrane. In the hollow, under the skin of the drum, there are some very small bones, but very remarkable, called auditory bones, and distinguished by these names: the hammer, the anvil, the orbicular, and the stirrup. Their use is, to contribute to the vibration, and to the tension of the skin of the drum. Behind the cavity of the drum, another opening must be observed, which communicates with a pipe which leads to the palate, and which is equally necessary to produce the sensation of exterior sounds. Next comes the snail, which rises in a spiral line. Behind is the auditory pipe, which joins the brain.

Hearing is in itself a thing worthy of admiration. By a portion of air, extremely small, which we put in motion, without knowing how, we can in an instant make our thoughts known to one another, with all our conceptions and desires, and this in as perfect a manner as if our souls could see into each other's. But, to comprehend the action of the air, in the propagation of sounds, more clearly, we must remember that the air is not a solid body, but a fluid. Throw a stone into a calm running water, there will result from it undulations, which will extend more or less, according to the degree of force with which the stone is thrown. Let us now suppose, that a word produces in the air the same effect as the stone produces in the water. While the person who speaks is uttering the word, he expels (with more or less force) the air out of his mouth; that air Communicates to the outward air which it meets, an undulating motion, and this agitated air comes and shakes the stretched membrane of the drum