punching the nail holes. They watched the whole process of fitting it to the horses's foot, and fastening it on; and it had become fair some minutes, before they showed a desire to leave the shop and proceed on their walk.

I could never have thought, says George, beginning the conversation, that such a hard thing as iron could have been so easily managed.

Nor I neither, said Harry.

Tutor. It was managed, you saw, by the help of fire. The fire made it soft and flexible, so that the smith could easily hammer it, and cut it, and bend it to the shape he wanted; and then, by dipping it in water, he made it hard again.

G. Are all metals managed in the same manner?

T. They are all worked by the help of fire in some way or other, either in melting them, or making them soft.

G. There are a good many sorts of metals, are there not? T. Yes, thirty-eight; and if you have a mind I will tell you about the principal ones and their uses.

G. Pray do, Sir.

H. Yes; I should like to hear it of all things.

T. Well, then. First, let us consider what a metal is. Do you think you should know one from a stone?

G. A stone! Yes, I could not mistake a piece of lead or iron for a stone.

T. How would you distinguish it?

G. A metal is bright and shining.

T. True-brilliancy is one of their qualities. But, glass and crystal are very bright, too.

H. But one may see through glass, and not through a piece of metal.

T. Right. Metals are brilliant, but opaque, or not trans

55

parent. The thinnest plate of metal that can be made, will keep out the light as effectually as a stone wall.

G. Metals are very heavy, too.

T. In general they are; but there are some metals which are lighter than water; these light metals, however, are difficult to be procured, and are more curious than useful. Well, what else?

G. Why, they will bear beating with a hammer, which a stone would not, without flying in pieces.

T. Yes; that property of extending or spreading under the hammer is called malleability; and another, like it, is that of bearing to be drawn out into a wire, which is called ductility. Metals have both these, and much of their use depends upon them.

G. Metals will melt, too.

H. What! will iron melt?

T. Yes; all metals will melt, though some require greater heat than others. The property of melting is called fusibility. Do you know any thing more about them.

G. No; except that they come out of the ground, I believe.

T. That is properly added, for it is that circumstance which makes them rank among minerals. To sum up their character, then, a metal is a brilliant, opaque, heavy, malleable, ductile, and fusible mineral.

G. I think I can hardly remember all that.

T. The names may slip your memory, but you cannot see metals at all used, without being sensible of the things.

G. But what are ores? I remember of seeing a heap of iron ore which men were breaking with hammers, and it looked only like stones.

T. The ore of a metal is the state in which it is generally

met with in the earth, when it is so mixed and combined

with stony and other matters as not to show its

ties as a metal.

H. How do people know it, then?

proper quali

T. By experience. It was probably accident which, in the early ages, discovered that certain minerals, by the force of fire, might be made to yield a metal. The experiment was repeated on other minerals; so that, in length of time, all the different metals were found out, and all the different forms in which they lie concealed in the ground. The knowledge of this is called Mineralogy, and a very important science it is.

Evenings at Home.

29.-Self-Denial,

Re-col-lect'ed, remembered

prom'ise, assure

in-cli-na'tion, disposition

hes-i-ta'tion, delay

lego | Pro-pos'al, offer

mitto e-quipped', dressed clino bar-om'e-ter, an instruhaereo ment for measuring the weight of the air

ap'pe-tite, desire of food, peto de-cide', determine

hunger e-spe'cial-ly, particularly sup-pressed', kept in

specio hem'i-sphere, half globe
premo com-pla'cen-cy, pleasure

pono

eques

baros

metrum

caedo

sphaira

placeo

Re-mind'ed, put in mind; drol'ler-y, idle jokes; ral'ly, deride; with-draw'ing, taking back; self-de-ni'al, self-refusal; dis-ap-point'ed, defeated; sud'den-ly, instantly; a-gree'a-ble, pleasant.

THE clock had just struck nine, and Harry recollected that his mother had desired them not to sit up a moment after the clock struck. He reminded his elder brother of this order. "Never mind," said Frank, "here is a famous fire, and I shall stay and enjoy it." "Yes," said Harry, "here is a famous fire, and I should like to stay and enjoy it; but

་

that would not be self-denial, would it Frank?"-"Nonsense,' said Frank, "I shall not stir yet, I promise you."-"Then, good night to you," said Harry.

Six o'clock was the time at which the brothers were expected to rise. When it struck six the next morning, Harry started up; but the air felt so frosty that he had a strong inclination to lie down again. "But no," thought he, “here is a fine opportunity for self-denial;" and up he jumped without farther hesitation. "Frank, Frank," said he to his sleeping brother, "past six o'clock, and a fine star-light morning!" "Let me alone," cried Frank, in a cross, drowsy voice. "Very well, then, a pleasant nap to you," said Harry, and down he ran as gay as a lark. After finishing his Latin exercise, he had time to take a pleasant walk before breakfast; so that he came in fresh and rosy, with a good appetite, and what was still better, in a good humour. But poor Frank, who had just tumbled out of bed when the bell rang for prayer, came down, looking pale, and cross, and cold, and discontented. Harry, who had some sly drollery of his own, was just beginning to rally him on his forlorn appearance when he recollected his resolution. "Frank does not like

to be laughed at, especially when he is cross," thought he; so he suppressed his joke: and it requires some self-denial even to suppress a joke.

During breakfast his father promised that, if the weather continued fine, Harry should ride out with him before dinner on the grey pony. Harry was much delighted with this proposal; and the thought of it occurred to him very often during the business of the morning. The sun shone cheerily in at the parlour windows, and seemed to promise fair for a fine day. About noon, however, it became rather cloudy, and Harry was somewhat startled to perceive a few

E

66

large drops upon the flag-stones in the court. He equipped himself, nevertheless, in his great coat at the time appointed, and stood playing with his whip in the hall, waiting to see the horses led out. His mother now passing by, said, "My dear boy, I am afraid there can be no riding this morning; do you see that the stones are quite wet?"-" Dear mother," said Harry, "you surely do not imagine that I am afraid of a few drops of rain; besides, it will be no more than a shower at any rate." Just then his father came in, who looked first at the clouds, then at the barometer, and then at Harry, and shook his head. You intend to go, papa, don't you?” said Harry. "I must go, I have business to do; but I believe, Harry, it will be better for you to stay at home this morning," said the father. “But, Sir," repeated Harry, "do you think it possible, now, that this sprinkling of rain should do me the least harm in the world, with my great coat and all?” Yes, Harry," said his father, "I do think that even this sprinkling of rain may do you harm, as you have not been quite well: I think, too, it will be more than a sprinkling. But you shall decide on this occasion for yourself; I know you have some self-command. I shall only tell you, that your going this morning would make your mother uneasy, and that we both think it improper; now determine." Harry again looked at the clouds, at the stones, at his boots, and last of all, at his kind mother, and then he recollected himself. This," thought he, "is the best opportunity for selfdenial that I have had to-day;" and he immediately ran to tell Roger that he need not saddle the grey pony.

66

66

"I should like another, I think, mother," said Frank that day at dinner, just as he had despatched a large hemisphere of mince pie. Any more for you, my dear Harry?" said "If you please; no, thank you, though," said

his mother.

66