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modern criticism proscribes, are scarcely misplaced in these old narrations. After having studied the portraits drawn by the good archbishop, the reader would easily recognise the heroes of the crusade if they might appear before him.

The chroniclers of the holy wars especially excel in their pictures of the miseries in which they had taken part, and resignation is the virtue upon which they are the most eloquent. Their references to Scripture and quotations from the prophets, produce a great effect in their descriptions, when not too often multiplied, and give to their narrations a poetical and solemn character, frequently very striking. The images they employ to express their thoughts are frequently brilliant reflections of that fiery enthusiasm which had produced the wars of the East. Ralph of Coggeshall, an English chronicler, after describing the invasion of Palestine, and the miseries he had there suffered, mourns over the pilgrims who had died for the cause of Christ, and envies them the sacred earth which covered their remains. "Miserable that I am," he says, to be thus one of the last of the survivors, for, less fortunate than my brothers in misery, I have not received my portion of the land of our Saviour."

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Several of the chroniclers join to this pious exaltation of ideas an accurate knowledge of events, and then their enlightened testimony becomes of great service towards a history of the crusades. We may allude to Guibert, abbot of Nogent, the most exact observer of the manners of his times; to Odon of Devil, who accom

panied Louis the Seventh into Asia, and describes the progress and sufferings of the French pilgrims with the exactness, and occasionally with the ingenious vivacity, of a Sallust; and to the author of the Itinerary of Richard, who in knowledge surpasses all the chroniclers, and by the curious details with which he has filled his narration, has invested it with all the interest of a romance, or an epic.

the papal court, has been considered by some as a philosophical writer,) beyond any historian of the thirteenth century, recounts the greatest number of prodigies and incredible events; but, side by side with this superstitious credulity, it is gratifying to find among the English annalists a great respect for the facts of history; and the care they take to relate all the circumstances necessary to their narrations, gives a great value to their chronicles, which are to us as the archives of a period which has long passed away.

[Abridged from a Paper read before the French Academy, by M. MICHAUD.]

THE best criterion of an enlarged mind, next to the perform-
ance of great actions, is their comprehension.
AFTER we have been dwelling on our own weaknesses, how
naturally does our vanity console itself with pitying the
infirmities of our friends.

never been

THEY who disbelieve in virtue because has
man
found perfect, might as reasonably deny a sun because it is
not always day.-Guesses at Truth.

ALL our senses are worthy of admiration, but there are
advantages peculiar to each. They render us conversant
with the phenomenal world, with our fellow men, and
with the various creatures that tenant the earth; but more
especially, with the signs of God's existence and wonderful
providence. Light connects us with objects at a distance,
without its aid we should become level with the insects
Thus degraded, we might feel the heat of the sun, but
whose knowledge is attained through the medium of touch.
could not tell its source; and unable to perceive their light,
we should be unaware of the existence of the stars. The
glorious panorama of nature, -the illuminated heaven with
the glad aspect of earth,-would be equally unknown; our
intercourse with our species would be limited, and our sup-
port precarious. The importance of vision is so great, that
all the superior and most of the inferior animals have been
provided with it. A large proportion of our ideas owe their
origin to this sense. Works of genius and the records of
knowledge are addressed to it, and without it could neither
have existence nor utility. Colours are the source of many
pleasures. Creation would be monotonous were light and
shade the only distinctions, as it is the case during the
gloom of evening, and the prevalence of snow. As it is, we
flower; the gay tints of art, and in fine, the endless diver-
have the hue of beauty; the thousand aspects of branch and
sity of everything that surrounds us.

The chronicles bear different characters, not only according to the epochs, but also the countries in which they were composed. Thus, those of Italy and Germany do not possess the same characteristics, and certainly not the same merit, as those of England and France. The general history of Italy, like the country it represents, is divided into numerous fractions, and, to learn its progress in the Middle Ages, we must seek it in thirty rival cities, recorded in numerous chronicles, frequently Colours are enhanced by combination and contrast, as in varying in their descriptions of the same events. It is mosaics, and still more in the variety of nature. How true that these show less superstition and credulity than brilliant is the aspect of beds of flowers. The splendour of do those of other countries, viewing circumstances in a the rainbow, no less than that of many living objects, fills more enlightened manner, and sometimes expressing us with admiration and delight. By night, the moon and themselves with more moderation; but curious details, stars provide us with their tinted and gentle radiance; and important circumstances of leading events, are too brilliancy. The very sea is full of splendour. Many while meteors and other forms of electric fluid, add their much neglected by them. The German annals of the insects, and some plants even, emit light at night. It same epoch are not more fertile in facts, while in all would be difficult to describe the flitting and glowing illuother respects they are still more defective. Germany mination of the fire-fly. We are enabled to multiply the never having experienced the civilizing power of the pleasures arising from these sources, by transferring the Romans, took the hindmost place in the modern regene- hues of nature to the produce of industry. We can thus ration. To give an idea of the poverty of the Italian preserve them for years, and if the material be not very and German chroniclers, it is sufficient to say, that all perishable, as in the canvas of the painter, and the frescoed their documents united do not offer sufficient material wall, they will often remain uninjured for centuries. The paintings of the early masters, the decorations of Pompeii for the compilation of the complete history of a single and of the Egyptian tombs, are of very ancient date. crusade. France is the country, perhaps, which has When the light liberally bestowed by nature ceases, we furnished the greatest number of fully-informed wit- supply its place by an artificial illumination that perpenesses of by-gone times; and her old annalists have tuates the lustrous colouring of the day. Thus comfort and been especially had recourse to in all recent important convenience are promoted, while existence is multiplied, and attempts to delineate the laws and customs of the Mid-light and life are imparted to what would otherwise come dle Ages. The most elaborate researches upon feudality, much is thereby added to human industry, to hours of within the dreary dominions of darkness and night. How chivalry, and the origin of the various institutions of the study and social intercourse! Yet contrivances, even of Western world, have been made from these materials. earthly origin, must be referred to the only Giver of knowThe English chroniclers are, in the same way, entitled ledge and power; since without Him there could be no art, to challenge the attention of an enlightened posterity. nor any science or skill.-M'CORMAC's Philosophy of Human They are, however, also as credulous as those of other Nature. countries. Matthew Paris, (who, by reason of his detailing some of the complaints against the abuses of

JOHN W. PARKER, PUBLISHER, WEST STRAND, LONDON.

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THE SOUL BE WITHOU

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OWLEDGE, IT IS NOT COOD

GENEVA.

Magazine.

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GENEVA, the capital of the smallest of the Swiss cantons, owes its principal attractions to its beautiful situation, and to the historical interest with which it is invested. Small and unimportant as this canton may appear, its influence in past ages has been of the most extensive and prevailing character, and it will ever thus possess peculiar interest to the intelligent traveller.

The town itself, though much improved of late years, has no very remarkable attractions in the way of public buildings or sights; it owes, therefore, its chief beauties to its position on one of the most charming lakes in the world. The Cathedral is noted for the simplicity of its architecture, to which the addition of a fine Corinthian portico has been no improvement; but the interior presents a pure specimen of early Gothic. The Museum of Natural History is chiefly interesting as containing the collections, in their several departments of science, of the eminent Saussure, Decandolle, and Necker. In the upper story is a reading-room, well supplied with the best European Journals. The Public Library contains forty thousand volumes, with many rare and curious manuscripts. Letters and sermons may there be seen in the handwriting of Calvin and Beza, with the discourses of St. Augustine, and a manuscript on papyrus, of the seventh century.

The upper part of the town of Geneva, which rises on a gentle acclivity, is picturesque. In the lower part, the houses are disfigured by cumbersome wooden arcades, under which the trading classes exhibit their wares and merchandize. The blue waters of the Rhone, issuing VOL. XXV.

from the lake, divide the town into two parts, and along the banks there are many unseemly buildings, (which, however, have had their share in the general improvement,) devoted to the use of the washerwomen o Geneva.

The manufacture of watches, musical boxes, and jewellery, is that to which Geneva owes its present trading prosperity. Upwards of fifty workshops, devoted to watch-making, and seventy to the jeweller's trade, are kept in constant employment; and it has been calculated that in good years seventy-five thousand ounces of gold, five thousand marks of silver, and precious stones to the value of a million of francs, are used in them. One hundred thousand watches are said to be now annually manufactured in Geneva.

The Genevese are fond of the pleasures of society, and devote their evenings to conversation. Mr. Roscoe remarks that M. Simond's description of a soirée at Geneva, might be mistaken for that of an evening party in some country town in England.

Soon after eight in the evening ladies sally forth, wrapped in a cloak and hood, a rebellious feather only appearing sometimes in front, and walk on tiptoe about the streets, preceded by their maid, who carries a lantern. When they reach their destination, the cloak and double shoes are thrown off, in an ante-room appropriated to the purpose; shawl thrown afresh over their shoulders with negligent their dress is shaken out a little by the attentive maid, their propriety, their cap set to rights, and then they slide in lightly, to appearance quite unconscious of looks, make their curtsey, take their seats, and try to be agreeable to their next

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neighbour; yet now and then they stifle a yawn, and change places under some pretence for the sake of changing, and curiously turn over young ladies' or young gentlemen's drawings, placed on the table with prints or books, upon which they would not bestow a look if they could help it, nor listen to the music to which they now seem attentive. Tea comes at last, with heaps of sweet things; a few cardparties are arranged, and as the hour of eleven or twelve strikes, the maid and lantern are announced in a whisper to each of the fair visitors. Meanwhile the men, in groups about the room, discuss the news of the day, foreign or domestic politics, but mostly the latter, making themselves very merry with the speech in council of such-and-such a member, (of course of the adverse party,) who talked for two hours on the merest trifle in the world, and thought he was establishing his reputation as a statesman for ever. The public walks and ramparts of Geneva are highly interesting. The scenery of the far-famed lake is soft and rich beyond description, and the pleasure of contemplating it would be unmixed, did not fogs and vapours frequently involve its glories in obscurity.

The following lines were written on visiting the lake and valley, for the first time, at sunset.

'Twas at this instant-while there glow'd
This last, intensest gleam of light-
Suddenly, through the opening road,
The valley burst upon my sight!
That glorious valley, with its lake,

And Alps on Alps in clusters swelling,
Mighty and pure, and fit to make

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The lake is in the shape of a crescent, of which Switzerland forms the hollow, and Savoy the convex part, the greatest breadth being about six miles. The scenery on the opposite shores of the lake is beautifully diversified. On the Savoy side, the country is full of high and craggy mountains; on the Swiss side, the scenery from Geneva to Lausanne consists of rich and fertile slopes, rising, in the neighbourhood of the last named town, so as to form a most beautiful terrace. An extensive plain opens in the neighbourhood of Vevay, and spreads out beyond the end of the lake, but is contracted towards the water by the approach of the mountains. Measured along its north shore, the lake of Geneva is fifty-five miles long, on the south bank it is about forty miles long, and its greatest depth is nine hundred feet. The water of the lake is very clear and transparent, and appears at a distance of a beautiful blue colour. In the course of one year, the waters often vary more than fifty inches, being usually lowest between the months of January and April, and highest in those of July, August, and September, when the melting of the snows and glaciers causes a large accession to its tributaries. Besides this cause of variation

in the waters, there is another which has long excited the attention of naturalists without being satisfactorily explained.

The waters of the lake of Geneva, as well as of all the other lakes that are formed by rivers flowing from the higher Alps, are naturally subject to changes according to the fulness or otherwise of the streams continually pouring into them; but this lake in particular is exposed to sudden risings and fallings termed Seiches, which are quite independent of this regular and annual increase. The phenomenon in question is perfectly well-known to persons dwelling on the borders of the lake towards its western extremity. Without any ap

parent cause, and at very uncertain intervals, the waters suddenly rise from two to five feet above their ordinary level, and oscillate, perhaps, for a period of twenty minutes, when they subside and resume their previous character. This rising is not general all over the surface of the lake, but only takes place at particular parts; being most common in the vicinity of Geneva.

Several explanations of this curious phenomenon have been attempted. One observer imagines, that strong breezes of wind, driving the waters towards the town of Geneva, there more or less alter their level, which they do not at once resume, but after many oscillations. Another, remarking that this hypothesis did not explain the seiches which occur in calm weather, attributed the phenomenon to the sudden rise of the river Arve, retarding the course of the Rhone, and consequently forcing it back on the borders of the lake. A third alleges that the seiches are produced by electrical clouds, which, attracting the waters of the lake, produce pulsations, the effect of which is more apparent where the opposite sides of the lake approach the nearest. Later observations have induced a belief that this phenomenon is due to the unequal pressure of the atmosphere upon different parts of the surface of the lake, and to the sudden and local variations which so often happen in the air on the approach of storms. The seiches occur most frequently when the clouds are heavy and low.

The lake of Geneva was called by the Romans, Lacus Lemanus, and in poetry it still retains its ancient title. The face of this lake is occasionally ruffled with terrific storms. In the following beautiful lines its calmer features are elegantly depicted:

Clear placid Leman! thy contrasted lake
With the wide world I dwell in, is a thing
Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring.
This quiet sail is as a noiseless wing

To waft ine from destruction; once I loved
Torn ocean's roar, but thy soft murmuring
Sounds sweet, as if a sister's voice reproved,
That I with stern delight should e'er have been so moved.

It is the hush of night, and all between
Thy margin and thy mountains, dusk, yet clear,
Mellow'd and mingled, yet distinctly seen,
Save darken'd Jura, whose capt heights appear
Precipitously steep; and drawing near
There breathes a living fragrance from the shore,
Of flowers yet fresh with childhood; on the ear
Drops the light drip of the suspended oar,

Or chirps the grasshopper one good-night carol more. eminent men. Connected with Geneva are the names of many First and most important is Calvin, who in passing as a fugitive from France to Germany, was led to adopt Geneva as a residence, and a home of liberty, well fitted to prove the cradle of the Reformation, and the rallying point for the persecuted Protestants. At Geneva were born Decandolle, the botanist; Huber, the entomologist; Saussure, who first ascended Mont Blanc; Lefort, the friend of Peter the Great; Necker, the father of Madame de Stael; Isaac Casaubon; Dumont; Rousseau; &c.

It was at Geneva that the singular interview took place between Calvin and Eckius, the pope's legate, which was related to Lord Orrery by Deodati. The anecdote is told as follows:-" Eckius being sent by the pope, legate into France, upon his return resolved to take Geneva in his way, on purpose to see Calvin, and if occasion were, to attempt reducing him to the Romish church. Therefore, when Eckius was come within a league of Geneva, he left his retinue there, and went, accompanied with but one man, to the city in the forenoon. Setting up his horses at shown' him, he knocked at the door, and Calvin himself an inn, he inquired where Calvin lived, which house being came to open it to him. Eckius inquired for Mr. Calvin; he was told he was the person. Eckius acquainted him that he was a stranger, and having heard much of his fame

In

cœur est

ON THE FACULTY POSSESSED BY SOME ANI-
MALS OF ASSUMING THE SAME COLOUR
AS THAT OF THEIR ABODE.

THOSE who are accustomed to regard with an attentive
eye the care bestowed by the Almighty upon the mean-
est of His creatures, frequently have their admiration
excited by new discoveries illustrative of that provi-
dential wisdom which protects and provides for all.

was come to wait upon him. Calvin invited him to come which two rooms are preserved nearly in the state they in, and he entered the house with him; where discoursing were left by their misguided and unhappy owner. of many things concerning religion, Eckius perceived Calvin the principal room is a vase of black marble, which once to be an ingenious, learned man, and desired to know if he had not a garden to walk in; to which Calvin replying he contained the heart of the philosopher. It bears the had, they both went into it, and then Eckius began to inscription, Son esprit est partout, et son inquire of him why he left the Romish church, and offered ici. The town of Fernay was almost created by Volhim some arguments to persuade him to return; but Calvin taire, and a church which stands close to his own resicould by no means be persuaded to think of it. At last dence was built by him; which has often called forth Eckius told him that he would put his life into his hands, from the traveller the common saying, "The nearer the and then said that he was Eckius, the pope's legate. At church, the further from God." this discovery Calvin was not a little surprised, and begged his pardon that he had not treated him with the respect due to his quality. Eckius returned the compliment, and told him if he would come back to the church he would certainly procure for him a cardinal's cap, but Calvin was not to be moved by such an offer. Eckius then asked him what revenue he had; he told the cardinal he had that house and a garden, and fifty livres per annum, besides an annual present of wine and corn, on which he lived very comfortably. Eckius told him that a man of his parts deserved a better revenue, and then renewed his invitation to come over to the Romish church, promising him a better stipend if he would. But Calvin giving him thanks, assured him that he was well satisfied with his condition. About this time dinner was ready, when he entertained his friend as well as he could, excused the defects of it, and paid him every respect. Eckius after dinner desired to know if he might not be admitted to see the church, which anciently was the cathedral of the city. Calvin very readily answered that he might; accordingly, he sent to the officers to be ready with the keys, and desired some of the syndics to be there present, not acquainting them who the stranger was. soon, therefore, as it was convenient, they both went towards the church; and as Eckius was coming out of Calvin's house he drew out a purse with about one hundred pistoles, and presented it to Calvin; Calvin desired to be excused. Eckius told him he gave it to buy books, as well as to express his respect for him. Calvin with much regret took the purse, and they proceeded to the church, where the syndics and officers waited upon them, at the sight of whom Eckius thought he had been betrayed, and whispered his thoughts in the ear of Calvin, who assured him of his safety. Thereupon they went into the church, and Eckius having seen all, told Calvin he did not expect to find things in so decent an order, having been told the contrary. After having taken a full view of everything, Eckius was returning out of the church, but Calvin stopped him a little, and calling the syndics and officers together took out the purse of gold which Eckius had given him, telling them that he had received that gold from this worthy stranger, and that now he gave it to the poor; and so put it all in the poorbox that was kept there. The syndics thanked the stranger; and Eckius admired the charity and modesty of Calvin. When they were come out of the church, Calvin invited Eckius again to his house, but he replied that he must depart; so thanking him for all his civilities, offered to take his leave; but Calvin waited on him to his inn, and walked with him a mile out of the territories of Geneva, where with great compliments they took a farewell of each other."

As

Calvin is supposed to have lived in the house No. 116 in the Rue des Chanoines, and there, probably, he died. His last moments were remarked as the finest of his life. "Like a parent who is about to leave a beloved family, he bade farewell to those whom he had watched over so long with a truly parental care. To the elders of the republic, and the citizens, he gave his parting advice, that they should steadily pursue the course in which he had directed them." Peacefully closing his career, this remarkable man was honoured with the sincere love and regret of the Genevese. His remains were conveyed, without pomp, to the old burial-place called Plain Palais, (now abandoned,) and were covered with a simple tomb without inscription. This event occurred in 1564, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. The site of his grave cannot now be discovered.

Other objects of interest in the environs of Geneva are the Castle of Chillon, situated on the lake, and immortalized by the beautiful description of the poet; and also the village or town of Fernay, where numbers of visitors are attracted to view the château of Voltaire, in

It is well known that in the defence of animals from their enemies, the colour of their exterior is of great effect. Thus the hare often so much resembles the soil which it occupies as to be indistinguishable. In the partridge, the quail, the woodcock, the snipe, and other birds, the colours of their plumage so greatly resemble the ground, as to conceal them from every eye; even from the acute sight of the kite and the hawk. But it is a remarkable and beautiful part of this system of defence, that the colours of many animals vary with the ground they occupy, according as the seasons change its surface: thus the ptarmigan has its summer and its winter attire, and many of the fur-bearing animals, as winter approaches, change their dark summer vest for one of snowy whiteness, which effectually conceals them from most of their enemies, except man.

Far more wonderful, however, is the fact, that some animals undergo this change whenever they move to a new place of abode, different from the former; and that with such rapidity, that a few hours, and in some cases a few minutes, suffice to adjust the appearance of the creature to that of its new habitation.

The writer remembers that among his boyish pets were a few minnows which he preserved in a white basin, and fed daily with small worms and crumbs of bread. Having caught another minnow it was conveyed home in an oyster shell, and added to the general stock; the stranger was of a darker hue than the other minnows; his beautiful dark-striped back made him conspicuous among the very pale and almost transparent little fishes, which had already occupied the basin some days. Next morning, however, on taking the fish their supply of food, the dark fish had disappeared; on inquiry every one disclaimed having touched the fish; the number was the same; it could not, therefore, have jumped out of the basin; in short, it was a complete mystery, and remained so until recently, when a beautiful set of experiments by Mr. James Stark explained the whole affair, and made a pleasing addition to our knowledge.

Mr. Stark had preserved a number of minnows through the winter: on one occasion having transferred some of them into a white basin, for the purpose of changing the water in the glass vessel where they were usually kept, it struck Mr. Stark that their colours were less vivid; and the dark spots and bands much paler than usual. It occurred to him that as vegetables are bleached by being sheltered from the light, so the colours of animals might be made to undergo a similar change. A number of experiments were performed on the minnow, the stickleback, the loche, and the perch. By placing these fishes in vessels of different colours, and by variously modifying the light which fell upon them, the colours of the fishes were found to be susceptible of great changes, and it was afterwards found, that after the most decided change had taken place, the

colours could with ease, and in a very short time, be restored to their original brightness and beauty.

On the 26th of June two minnows were placed in a white stone-ware ewer. Their colours were as vivid as usual; the back was of a dark brown; the upper part of the sides was marked with black bars upon a silvery ground, with violet and golden reflections.

The next day the fishes were found to be nearly colourless; the back was of a light sand colour; the bars on the sides had entirely disappeared; the sides and belly were nearly of one colour, i. e., a silvery-white, with a slight shade of blue.

On the 28th the body appeared partly translucent, so that the layers of muscle on the back were distinctly seen, as also the vessels between them; the snout and top of the skull were more transparent than usual. On the next day they were replaced in the glass vessel, round which a black silk handkerchief was folded. On the 30th this handkerchief was removed, and the bottle placed upon black cloth, and exposed to the light, but not within the rays of the sun. After a few hours' exposure the fishes had regained much of their original colour. They were then placed again in the white ewer. After some hours they were found to have again lost their colours; they were quite pale, and of a sandy hue; in this state they remained, with no variation, for about a fortnight, the ewer being kept in an obscure corner of the apartment.

On the 17th July, the minnows were transferred to a black glazed earthenware jar. In five minutes, darkcoloured spots began to appear on the back, and in little more than fifteen minutes they had lost their transparency; in five hours afterwards, the minnows appeared of a mottled gray and brown colour, with the fins of a bluish tinge. On the 18th, the colours on the back were dark brown, approaching to black, so as to be with difficulty distinguished from the colour of the jar when looking down upon it; the fins were purplish, inclining to blue. The minnows were allowed to remain in the jar till the 21st. The bottom of the jar, and the side to the height of two inches, were then covered internally with bright tin foil; the minnows were placed in the jar, and left in the shade as before.

One of the minnows which had kept at the bottom near the tin foil was observed next day to have lost much of its dark colour, the back appearing of a brownish hue, fading into silvery on the sides, with no appearance of the dark bars. The other minnow, which kept above and by the side of the vessel, where it was not covered with foil, retained its original colour and markings. The tin-foil was then removed, and in a few hours both the minnows appeared equally dark coloured as before.

The two minnows were allowed to remain in this state until the 3rd August, previous to which, others of the same species were put into the jar; they were all of the same uniform dark colour on the back, with black variegations and golden reflections on the sides: the same changes ensued as before; but in all cases the belly retained its silvery appearance.

All these experiments were performed in an obscure corner of the room: the same experiments were repeated in a perfectly light part of the room; not, however, exposed to the sun's rays: the experiments were also performed in the direct rays of the sun. In all these cases the results were similar; that is, when placed in a darkcoloured vessel, the colours of the animals assumed very much the colour of the vessel they were placed in; and when transferred to a white basin, they uniformly became in a very short period of a light sandy colour, and their characteristic markings disappeared. In glass vessels exposed to the light, little change of colour takes place, although at different periods of the day, and in different minnows in the same vessel, a change to a certain extent takes place in the brightness of the colours and markings, which is not easily accounted for.

The changes in colour appear to be more easily effected in the stickleback than in the minnow. Some sticklebacks were placed in a decanter round which some black silk had been rolled. The animals changed in colour in a few minutes, under the eye of the observer; indeed, the colours were seen to fade or brighten according to the nature of the vessel they were placed in for the time. When placed in a white basin, the fine vermilion colour of the breast almost disappeared; and on transferring them to a black glazed earthen jar, the vivid colours were as speedily renewed.

In the roach and perch, the sudden change in colour which takes place in a few hours is so striking, that the identity of the animal might reasonably be questioned by one who had seen the results without being aware of the circumstances which led to them. Although retained for weeks in the same condition, in order to be assured that the changes were really due to the action of light upon the animal, yet a few hours were found sufficient for a display of all the phenomena.

It appears obvious from these experiments, that these fishes, and perhaps all other river and lake fishes, possess the faculty of accommodating their colour to the ground or bottom of the waters in which they are found. The reason for this may be traced to the protection which they thus secure from the attacks of their enemies; and it affords another beautiful example of the care displayed by the Almighty for the preservation of all His creatures.

Although not satisfactorily accounted for, these phenomena may depend on the same cause as the changes of colour in the cameleon, which, when crawling on plants, cannot be detected on account of its colour being the exact shade of the leaves.

A similar faculty may pertain to salt-water fish. On flat sandy coasts, flounders appear very much the colour of the sand, so that, unless they are in motion, it is impossible to distinguish them from the bottom on which they rest. The same remark applies to the eel, in the muddy pools and places which it inhabits.

In concluding our notice of these remarkable experiments, we would gladly urge their repetition upon such of our readers as have leisure and opportunity. There is no cruelty in them, and many new and interesting facts may arise. In winter the minnows may be fed with fibres of beef or mutton; and this, with the addition of a few flies, serves also for summer food. Mr. Stark found that this treatment, with frequent supplies of fresh water, sufficed to keep his little troop healthful and active; they lived to the good old age of three years, which is the probable duration of the life of a minnow. BENEATH the surface of the mighty deep, there is a world hardly known to man. He knows what the tremendous tumult of its surface may be, and how to sustain himself unharmed upon it. He knows how to draw some of its inhabitants from their abodes, and to enrich himself with their products. But its deep recesses, and its contents, are far deeper than his investigation can extend. All that is going on, throughout this vast expanse of the waters of the globe, are closed to human view; and the millions and millions of animated beings, as varied, probably, as those which are submitted to man's observation on the earth, and in the air, and in the waters which are on the surface of the earth, are, and must for ever be, unknown to man. Yet, how can he doubt, that whatsoever lives, and is beneath the earth's surface, is the work of that Power, who formed and sustains all that the earth bears on its surface? No thoughtful mind can behold the ocean without feeling that it has come into the very presence of its Creator. It seems to be, like the ever-enduring forest, such as it was when it first began to be.-Moral Class Book.

It is this belief (in the Bible), the fruits of deep meditation, which has served me as the guide of my moral and literary life. I have found it a capital safely invested and richly productive of interest, although I have sometimes made but a bad use of it.-GOETHE,

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