Ex-ten'sive, large; a-dorned', embellished; dec-or-a'tions, ornaments; ac-com-mo-da'tions, conveniences; sub-sist ́ence, means of supporting life; be-nign', wholesome; a'gen-cy, uction; re-splen'dent, bright. To us who dwell on its surface, the earth is by far the most extensive orb that our eyes can any where behold; it is also clothed with verdure, distinguished by trees, and adorned with a variety of beautiful decorations; whereas, to a spec tator placed on one of the planets, it wears a uniform aspect; looks all luminous; and no larger than a spot. To beings who dwell at greater distances, it entirely disappears. That which we call alternately the morning and the evening star*, (as in one part of the orbit she rides foremost in the procession of night, and in the other she ushers in and anticipates the dawn,) is a planetary world. This planet, and the four others that so wonderfully vary their mystic dance, are in themselves dark bodies, and shine only by reflection;t have fields, and seas, and skies, of their own; are furnished with all accommodations for animal subsistence, and are supposed to be the abodes of intellectual life; all which, together with our earthly habitation, are dependent on that grand dispenser of Divine munificence, the sun; receive their light 'from the distribution of his rays, and derive their comfort from his benign agency. The sun, which seems to perform its daily stages through the sky, is, in this respect, fixed and immoveable: it is the great axle of heaven, about which the globe we inhabit, and † See note, page 96. * Venus. The other more spacious orbs, wheel their stated courses. sun, though seemingly smaller than the dial it illuminates, is abundantly larger than this whole earth, on which so many lofty mountains rise, and such vast oceans roll. A line extending from side to side through the centre of that resplendent orb, would measure more than eight hundred thousand miles: a girdle formed to go round its circumference, would require a length of millions. Were its solid contents to be estimated, the account would overwhelm our understanding, and be almost beyond the power of language to express. Are we startled at these reports of philosophy! Are we ready to cry out in a transport of surprise, "How mighty is the Being who kindled so prodigious a fire; and keeps alive, from age to age, so enormous a mass of flame!" let us attend our philosophical guides, and we shall be brought acquainted with speculations more enlarged and more inflaming. This sun, with all its attendant planets, is but a very little part of the grand machine of the universe: every star, though in appearance no bigger than the diamond that glitters upon a lady's ring, is really a vast globe, like the sun in size and in glory; no less spacious, no less luminous, than the radiant source of day. So that every star is not barely a world, but the centre of a magnificent system; has a retinue of worlds, irradiated by its beams, and revolving round its attractive influence, all which are lost to our sight in unmeasurable wilds of ether. That the stars appear like so many diminutive, and scarcely distinguishable points, is owing to their immense and inconceivable distance. Immense and inconceivable indeed it is, since a ball, shot from the loaded cannon, and flying with unabated rapidity, must travel, at this impetuous rate, almost seven hundred thousand years before it could reach the nearest of these twinkling luminaries. While beholding this vast expanse, I learn my own extreme meanness, I would also discover the abject littleness of all terrestrial things. What is the earth, with all her ostentatious scenes, compared with this astonishingly grand furniture of the skies? What, but a dim speck, hardly perceivable in the map of the universe? It is observed, by a very judicious writer, that if the sun himself, which enlightens this part of the creation, were extinguished, and all the host of planetary worlds which move about him, were annihilated, they would not be missed by an eye that can take in the whole compass of nature, any more than a grain of sand upon the sea shore. The bulk of which they consist, and the space which they occupy are so exceedingly little in comparison of the whole, that their loss would scarcely leave a blank in the immensity of God's works. If, then, not our globe only, but this whole system, be so very diminutive, what is a kingdom or a country? What are a few lordships, or the so much-admired patrimonies of those who are styled wealthy? When I measure them with my own little pittance, they swell into proud and bloated dimensions: but when I take the universe for my standard, how scanty is their size! how contemptible their figure! They shrink into pompous nothings. Hervey. Gen'o-a, a city of Italy; es'ti-ma-ted, calculated; distin'guished, eminent; pro-duc'tions, fruits; re-pub'lics, commonwealths. AFRICA is the third quarter of the globe in point of size. The population is variously estimated from thirty to one hundred and fifty millions; but nothing is known with certainty concerning any parts except the coasts. In the interior of Africa, the heat of the climate is not moderated by mountains, lakes, or rivers, and extensive tracts are occupied by deserts of sand. The climate, productions, and character of the people, are such as are generally found in the Torrid Zone; those parts which are well watered being very fruitful. The northern countries of Africa were among the most enlightened in the world, and still have written languages; but are now among the lowest of half-civilized nations. The rest of Africa has always been in a savage or barbarous state. The Mahometan religion extends over all the north of Africa. The Abyssinians, and some of the people of Egypt, profess a corrupt Christianity, but not deserving the name. All the other nations of Africa are sunk in superstition and vice; and some nations have been found who do not believe in any God. America, or the new continent, was first made known to Europeans by Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, in 1492. It is the largest of the four quarters of the globe in size, but probably the least populous. This continent is divided into North and South America, and is distinguished for its large rivers and lakes, and its lofty mountains, in which it generally surpasses the eastern continent. North America extends from 10 to 70 or 75 degrees, north latitude, and almost every variety of climate and productions is to be found in it. The western coast has a mild climate, but the northern and eastern parts are much colder than the same latitudes in Europe. The northern and western portions of North America are inhabited almost entirely by Indians in a savage state. They are visited by Europeans only to procure skins and furs. The eastern parts, south of latitude 50 degrees, were long since colonized and peopled from European nations; and few of the Indians remain. The greater part of North America is occupied by the two republics of Mexico and the United States. The northern part is occupied by Great Britain, and the Russian settlements on the north-west coast. Its South America is a very fertile portion of the world, distinguished for the size and grandeur of its rivers, and the height and extent of its mountains. It abounds in precious stones; and its mines, with those of Mexico, furnish much more gold and silver than all other parts of the world. soil produces many medicinal and other valuable plants, which are not found in other countries. The climates are more temperate than those in the same latitudes of the Eastern Continent, on account of the number of mountains and rivers of the The greater part of South America at one time belonged to Spain; but of her former extensive possessions in this vast continent, she retains not a single spot. Her oppression, long endured with servile patience, at last provoked the American subjects to rebellion, and several important republics have been founded on the ruins of the old government. ocean. N 34.-The Temple of Nature, And all the stars of heaven; All nature worships there. A thousand fierce volcanoes blaze, The ocean heaves resistlessly, And pours his glittering treasure forth, The grateful earth her odour yields, The balmy dew at morn and even The cedar and the mountain pine, In reverence bend to Him; Cer-u'le-an, blue. David Vedder. |