LESSON XLVII. Spell and Define. 1. Ge-ol'o-gy, the formation and structure 7. Di-lu'vi-al, relating to a flood. of the earth. 1. Av-a-lanch'es, mountain slides of earth and stone. 2. Ca-tas'tro-phe, disaster, calamity. 4. Tem-pest'u-ous, very stormy. 5. Torrent, a rapid stream. 6. Ap-parel, clothing, dress. 7. Del'uge, a flood. 7. De-file', a narrow pass. 8. Bar'ri-er, a wall or obstruction. 9. De cliv'i-ties, slopes, descents. 9. Sum'mit, the highest point. 10. Ex-ca-va'tion, a cavity or hollow. 10. A'pex, the tip or point. ERRORS. -1. Srubs for shrubs; 3. a-lar'um-ed for a-larm'ed; 4. crea'tchure for creat'ure; 5. jest for just; 8. nawch for notch; 9. con-sid'er-ble for con-sid'er-able; 10. wedth for width; 10. holler for hollow. b 1. We have passed the day in the Notch" of the White Mountains, examining the scenery, the geology, and the ruins. The avalanches were very numerous; they were not, however, ruptures of the main foundation rock of the mountain, but slides from very steep declivities; beginning, in many instances, at the very mountain top, and carrying down, in one promiscuous and frightful ruin, forests, and shrubs, and the earth which sustained them, together with stones and rocks innumerable, and many of great size, such as would each fill a common apartment. 2. The slide took everything with it, down to the solid mountain rock, and being produced by torrents of water, which appear to have burst like water-spouts upon the mountains, after they had been thoroughly soaked with heavy rains, thus NOTES. - Notch; a narrow defile between two huge cliffs of the White Mountains, about two miles in length, and barely wide enough for a road. b White Moun'tains; a chain of mountains in New Hampshire, nearly a mile and a quarter in height above the level of the sea. c Water-spouts are supposed by some to be caused by a whirlwind, which condenses the cloud coming between the conflicting winds, and causes it to descend in a column; while, at the same time, the ocean below it being agitated, ascends in vapor to meet the column above. Professor Espy supposes that a column of rarified air is formed, between the cloud and ocean, by heat and electrical influence, and that the water is thus made to ascend in a cel umn, to meet the cloud in its descent. loosening all the materials that were not solid, the trees, pushed and wrung by fierce winds, acted as so many levers, and prepared everything for the awful catastrophe. 3. No tradition existed of any slide in former times, and such as are now observed to have formerly happened, had been completely veiled by forest growth and shrubs. At length, on the twenty-eighth of June," two months before the fatal avalanche, there was one not far from the Willey House, which so far alarmed the family that they erected an encampment a little distance from their dwelling, intending it as a place of refuge. 4. On the fatal night, it was impenetrably dark, and frightfully tempestuous. The lonely family had retired to rest in their humble dwelling, six miles from the nearest human creat ure. 5. The avalanches descended in every part of the gulf, for the distance of two miles; and a very heavy rain began on the mountain top immediately above the house, and descended, in a direct line, toward it; the sweeping torrent, a river from the clouds, and a river full of trees, earth, stones, and rocks, rushed to the house, and marvelously divided within six feet of it, and just behind it, and passed on either side, sweeping away the stable and horses, and completely encircling the dwelling, but leaving it untouched. 6. At this time, probably towards midnight, as the state of the beds and apparel showed that they had retired to rest, the family doubtless issued from their house, and were swept away in the torrent; five beautiful children, from two to twelve years of age, being among the number. 7. This catastrophe presents a very striking example of sudden diluvial action, and enables one to form some feeble NOTES. See June, p. 91, note a. b The fatal avalanche referred to, took place on the night of the 26th of August, 1826; by which Mr. Willey, who kept a public house at the Notch, and his wife, and five children, were buried beneath the ruins. c Willey House; the public house kept by Willey at the Notch. conception of the universal effects of the vindictive druge, which once swept every mountain, and ravaged every plain and defile. In the present instance, there was not one avalanche only, but many. 8. The most extensive one was on the other side of the barrier, which forms the northern boundary of the Notch. It slid, in the whole, the distance of three miles, with an average breadth of a quarter of a mile; it overwhelmed a bridge, and filled a river course, turning the stream, and now presents an unparalleled mass of ruins. 9. There are places on the declivities of the mountains, in the Notch, where acres of the steep sides were swept bare of their forests, and of every movable thing, and the naked rock is now exposed to view; but in the greater number of instances, the avalanches commenced almost at the mountain top, or high upon its slope. We pursued some of them to a considerable distance up the mountain, and two gentlemen of our party, with much toil, followed one of them quite to the summit. 10. The excavation commenced generally as soon as there was anything movable, in a trench of a few yards in depth, and of a few rods in width, and descended down the mountains, widening and deepening, till it became a frightful chasm, like a vast irregular hollow cone, with its apex near the mountain top, and its base at its foot, and there spreading out into a wide and deep mass of ruins, of transported earth, gravel, stones, rocks, and forest trees. NOTE. -a It is supposed, by geologists, from the positions of the rocks and the appearance of the mountains, that a vast flood once rolled from north-west to southeist, over the whole surface of the earth. QUESTIONS. 1. What is the Notch? 1. What are the White Mountains? 1. Where did the slides commmence, and what did they carry away in their course? 2. How do they seem to have been produced? 2. How are water-spouts supposed to be caused? 2. How does Professor Espy suppose they are produced? 3. Does it appear that there have been slides in former times? 3. When did the first slide happen? 3. When did the fatal avalanche take place? 3. What is meant by the Willey House? 5. What was the extent of the second or fatal avalanche? 6. How many persons were destroyed? 7. What do geologists suppose once rolled over the earth? 8. How far did the avalanche slide? 10. How did the excavation com mence and how end } LESSON XLVIII. 1. Precious, of great worth. 4. En-fran'chis-ed, set free. 5. Con'scious, knowing. 7. Meads, meadows. 8. Frankly, openly, without disguise. 9. Bles'sed, happy. 10. Par'a-dise, a place of bliss. 12. Beck'on, to call by a sign. 13. God like, divine. 15. Char'i-ty, liberality in judging. ERRORS.-1. Sper'its for spir'its; 2. dooth for doth; 3. e-the'ral for e-there-al; 6. for-git' for for-get'; 12. change for change; 15. wust for worst; 17. nus'ed for nurs'ed. THE DEAD. M. F. TUPPER. 1. I LOVE the dead, The precious spirits gone before, To meet with welcome looks, And kiss me yet once more. 2. I love the dead; And fondly doth my fancy paint Each dear one, washed from earthly taint; By patience and by hope Made a most gentle saint. 3. O, glorious dead! Without one spot upon the dress Of your ethereal loveliness, Ye linger round me still, With earnest will to bless. 4. Enfranchised dead! Each fault and failing left behind, And nothing now to chill or bind, How gloriously ye reign In majesty of mind! 5. O, royal dead! The resting, free, unfettered dead, 6. I love the dead! And deeds, and ways, and will. 7. I bless the dead! Their good, half choked by this world's weeds, Is blooming now in heavenly meads, And ripening golden fruit Of all those early seeds. 8. I trust the dead! They understand me frankly now; There are no clouds on heart or brow, But spirit, reading spirit, Answereth glow for glow. 9. I praise the dead! All their tears are wiped away, Their darkness turned to perfect day, How blessed are the dead, How beautiful be they! |