reproduce the dividend when multiplied by the divisor? Now, the division of the earth into three kingdoms only, does not distinguish one part three times larger than all the others together, inasmuch as to this day, the sea water in general, the air and ether have not been included in the kingdoms of nature. It is not the less true that they form an integrant part of the same; and doubtless to this defective division, is to be attributed the obscurity in which the system of the world has been so long involved. Let a fourth kingdom then be admitted, under the denomination of meteorical, because from it meteors generally proceed, and in it exhibit their most extraordinary phenomena. Let these four agents also be admitted, caloric and cold, electricity and magnetism; of which the cause is now known. Let it be admitted that each of these, by an opposing force, contributes to the preservation and animation of nature, and this grand universe, and wonderful machine will be more open to our comprehension, to our judgment, and to our understanding, than this little and mortal frame in which I feel the throbbings of the heart.

of October and November, it falls so abundantly in cold regions, as Canada, Switzerland, and the north of Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, &c.; in a word, in all countries near the poles. If any incredulous person should ask why the phenomena of hail and snow never occur under the equator or within the tropics, except on the Andes, I would answer that that very circumstance proves the justness of my argument. However, it is remarkable, that when the cold is very intense, the magnetic fluid has too much power to allow the atmospheric vapours to rise from the earth, by their condensation below, so that the sky is then clear; the same takes place in the summer by an opposite cause, that is to say, by the rarefaction; fogs and abundant rains are the result of a kind of a negative action of those two agents; from this it is easy to explain why the cord of an hydrometer is tense or relaxed, and why the spirit of wine or mercury rises or falls in the barometer. Having explained by what means the atmospheric vapours are congealed, it will not be difficult to show why the electric fluid, and, I may add here, the galvanic fluid, | which is a modification of the same, instantly I am too well aware of the power of habit, of consume and reduce metals; it is by a force op-education, and the prejudices to which these posed to that which congeals them. The mag- give birth, not to perceive that reason itself netic fluid is the most rectified part of cold, as must slowly come to light. Though I have the electric is the most rectified part of caloric. proved the cause of frigoric, many will perhaps I have already observed that these two fluids are admit a causeless effect rather than accept the present in every place, and in constant and per-proof which I have demonstrated. petual action; that the cause of the magnetic However, to hasten conviction, may I be perfluid existed principally about the poles, and mitted to transfer to earth, those laws which that the needle consequently obeys their attrac- govern the heavens-those sublime laws which tion. To these facts, I think we may add were ascertained by the immortal Newton! Let one more, which may in time resolve many any one answer me whether they act not, great problems and difficulties. What I have to operate not, by opposing forces, in which God remark is, that, each of these fluids flows in a has shown to mankind the mightiness of his current or stream, which divides the globe into power, and the infinity of his wisdom. four equal parts, the magnetic from north to south, the electric from east to west. This will perhaps sufficiently explain why their shock causes peals of thunder, as well as the quivering of the clouds by flashes of lightning. This continual current of the magnetic fluid from north to south, in my opinion, obliges the needle to remain in that position; so that having here a good explanation of the phenomenon, there will be no necessity for supposing the whole earth a magnet. When I perceive and pause upon these laws, which govern the universe, I acknowledge with deep felt admiration the power and wisdom of the beneficent Creator. I behold the celestial bodies linked to our planetary system, majestically rolling from east to west, round a common centre, which itself obeys the universal law of gravitation. This law is to the sun, the glorious orb of day, what that of death is to the mighty potentates of earth.-The immortal Galileo, who ought during his life to have been much more honoured than even Newton and Franklin have been, received perpetual imprisonment as the reward of his genius. As for me, an obscure man, who dare to follow in the steps of these philosophers, I fear not, (thanks to the age in which we live,) the fate of the former, nor does my ambition aspire to the renown of the latter, I declare, that to them I owe every thing; I do but draw my inferences from the great principles which they have established.

ANALYSIS OF THE ABOVE SYSTEM.

The division of our planet into three kingdoms only, is evidently defective, and this is the proof. Is it not true that in arithmetic as well as in mathematics, the divisor must be contained in the dividend, and the quotient must

Born in an age of revolutions, may I have, at least, the happiness of contributing to one which shall be useful to mankind.

ACCOUNT OF A SINGULAR ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON, WITH SOME PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON CONDUCTING RODS.

The cotton mills of ******** and Co. in Pendleton, are remarkable for their insulated situation, standing in the midst of an extensive flat, formed by the rich alluvial lands of the Irwell. One of the mills, which is lofty, is furnished with a conductor at each end. Some years ago, the electric fluid passed down the chimney of a cottage not more than 20 or 30 yards from one of these conductors, which was then imperfect, not reaching the ground. A woman standing near the fire of the cottage, was struck down by the fluid, but not seriously injured. Alarmed at this accident, the mechanics of the mills repaired the rod, but did not make it descend into the ground above a foot. Since then, cellar windows having been put out at the same end of the building, the end of the rod became exposed, in which state it still remains. Passing by this road, at a late hour of the night, during last autumn, a faint light attracted my attention, which seemned to proceed from a window, but on approaching nearer, I was surprised to find it issuing from the end of the rod, exactly resembling the pencil of light which proceeds from a pointed wire, in electrical experiments. I immediately withdrew. Some time previous to this, this same mill was discovered to be on fire, early on a Sunday morning, and was saved with difficulty. How the fire originated, I believe, could never be ascertained. I have often thought since witnessing the above

phenomenon, that this mill might have been set on fire by a discharge of the electric fluid. The following circumstances strengthen this supposition. In this mill there is an immense upright iron shaft, and the imperfect conductor is nailed to the wall, which has not only chinks in it, but is penetrated by several iron cramps.

It is a matter of deep regret, to observe how tardy the world is in availing itself of important discoveries and inventions. Ages roll away before the most useful become general; and many are never known, beyond the premises of the men whose genius gave them birth. A deep rooted prejudice against all that is new, and deeper veneration for all that is old, seem to be the chief causes of this anomaly. A train of reflections similar to this has many times passed through my mind, on seeing high buildings without conducting rods, or with very imperfect

ones.

As an excuse for neglect, some persons pretend that there is but little danger; but when we consider the great number of melancholy cases of death by lightning, annually inserted in the newspapers, we cannot admit their conclusions to be just. To scientific men it is well known, that the air is always positively or negatively charged, and that lofty and insulated situations are in continual danger. A few weeks ago, the newspapers recorded a case of some sheep being destroyed by lightning, on a certain hill, in a gentleman's farm; like misfortunes having several times happened to cattle on the same spot. I shall not enter into the question any further; but proceed to offer a few hints respecting the formation of conducting rods. Iron, on account of its cheapness, is the metal most usually employed, but it is not so good a conductor as some others. In respect to their conducting power, metals are now, I believe, classed in the following order.

Copper is therefore the metal that ought to be employed, not only on account of its superiority as a conductor, but also from its being less disposed to rust than iron.

Conducting rods seldom rise sufficiently high, and seldom descend low enough into the earth. They should rise 10 or 12 feet above the highest part of the building, and the points at the top should not be less than 4 or 5 feet long. The rods should not be formed in links, nor should they be nailed to the wall: they should penetrate deep into the earth, several feet below the foundation of the building; bricks, lime, sand and dry earth, being very bad conductors. It is well known that the electric fluid is conducted over the surface of bodies, and yet when they are coated with a non-conducting substance, as sealing wax, they conduct equally well. rods ought therefore to be painted, or covered with a resinous composition.

The

Trees are frequently destroyed by lightning, and cattle that seek shelter under them. A gentleman had several favorite oaks, in a meadow before his house, one of which, a few years ago, was rent to pieces by a stroke of the electric fluid, and two colts killed that were under it. After this accident, he felt considerable alarm every time it thundered or lightened. I recom

• It is said that after the potatoe was known to be a cheap

and nutritious root, its introduction was opposed by the poor Almighty to be the chief support of millions of human beings.

for more than 200 years: a root that was designed by the

mended him to apply conducting rods to the remaining trees, and his house. He did so, and says, that ever since he has felt perfectly easy. He made the rods rise considerably higher than the top branches of the trees, and the rod on the tree nearest his house, he made subservient to another purpose. It had five radii on the top, one vertical, on which turned a small gilt weathercock; the other four projected towards the cardinal points.

Pendleton, March 27, 1823. A FRIEND.

Join AB, BC, AC; and produce BC to D. In CD take any point d as a centre; and with radius da, taking da Cd 9: 8, intersect the line AC. Through the point A draw AD parallel to ad; then will D be the point where the ship A overtakes B; for, as the two triangles ADC and ad C are similar, AD; CD::9: 8. Hence we have given, AB = 1; and BC= 2; suppose CD = x; then (8x + 2)2 + 1 = (9x)2 or 64x2 +32x + 4 + 181r2; hence x 2.04; and CD =8x = 16.3 miles; also AD = 9x 18.34-consequently the angle ADB will be found, by trigonometry, to be 3° 8' west of south.

Messrs. Hill, Wilson, and Jones, have favoured us with neat solutions to the same question.

Question No. 65, by Mr. Jones, Chorlton Row.

I am required to out off from the corner of a field, where the fences form an angle of 95°, a triangular area. The fence to be made for this purpose, is to go directly across the corner of the field, and to pass by a tree which stands within the field, and which is 300 yards distant from the corner of the field. This tree is to bisect the new fence, and a line drawn from it to the angular point of the field wi'l divide the angle 95° into two angles of 60° and 35°. What, then, will be the area of the triangle cut off?

THE CABINET.

The FLOOD OF THESSALY, the GIRL OF Provence, and other Poems, from the pen of BARRY CORNWALL, enable us to enrich our columns, with some inimitable sketchings of Fancy.

Still the ruin fell:

No pitying, no relapse, no hope: The world
Was vanishing like a dream. Lightning and Storm,
Thunder and deluging rain, now vexed the air
To madness, and the riotous winds laughed out
Like Bacchanals, whose cups some god has charmed,
Beneath the headlong torrents towns and towers
Fell down, temples all stone, and brazen shrines;
And piles of marble, palace and pyramid
(Kings' homes or towering graves) in a breath were swept
Crumbling away. Masses of ground and trees
Uptorn and floating, hollow rocks brute-crammed,
Vast herds and bleating flocks, reptiles, and beasts
-Bellowing, and vainly with the choking waves
Struggling, were hurried out, but none returned:
All on the altar of the giant Sea
Offered, like twice ten thousand hecatombs,
Whose blood allays the burning wrath of gods.

The last who lived was one

Who clung to life because a frail child lay
Upon her heart: weary, and gaunt, and worn,
From point to point she sped, with mangled feet,
Bearing for aye her little load of love:-
Both died,-last martyrs of another's sins,
Last children they of Earth's sad family.

Stili fell the flooding rains. Still the Earth shrank :
And Ruin held his straight terrific way.
Fierce lightnings burnt the sky, and the loud thunder
(Beast of the fiery air) howled from his cloud,
Exulting, towards the storm eclipsed moon.
Below, the Ocean rose boiling and black,
And flung its monstrous billows far and wide,
Crumbling the mountain joints and summit hills;
Then its dark throat it bared and rocky tusks,
Where, with enormous waves on their broad backs,
The demons of the deep were raging loud;
And racked to hideous mirth or bitter scorn

Hissed the Sea-angels; and earth-buried broods
Of Giants in their chains tossed to and fro,
And the sea lion and the whale were swung
Like atoms round and round.—

Mankind was dead:

And birds whose active wings once cut the air,
And beasts that spurned the waters,-all were dead:
And every reptile of the woods had died
Which crawled or stung, and every curling worm :-
The untamed tiger in his den, the mole

In his dark home-were choked: the darting ounce,
And the blind adder and the stork fell down
Dead, and the stifled mammoth, a vast bulk,
Was washed far out amongst the populous foam:
And there the serpent, which few hours ago
Could crack the panther in his scaly arma,
Lay lifeless, like a weed, beside his prey.
And now, all o'er the deep corpses were strewn,
Wide-floating millions, like the rubbish flung
Forth when a plague prevails; the rest down-sucked,
Sank, buried in the world-destroying seas.
The Flood of Thessaly.

He took her, gently, in his radiant arms,
And breathed on her, and bore her through the air,
Hushing from time to time her sweet alarms,
And whispering still that one so good and fair
Should dread no evil thought and know no care:
And still they flew, and around a lustre played,
Near them, as near a figure plays its shade.
Their course seemed pointed to some southern shore.
Over the waters where the trade-winds blew
They passed, and where men find the golden ore,
And where long since the Hesperian apples grew;
While, far beneath, the Old world and the New
Stretched out their tiny shapes, and their thick chain
Of islands, spangling like bright gems the main.
And then they moved beneath a lovelier sky,
O'er green savannahs where cool waters run;
O'er hills and valleys; o'er vast plains that lie
Flat, desarts blistered by the Afric sun;
Over spice-groves and woods of cinnamon;
By Siam and Malay; and many a fair
Bright country basking in the Indian air.
Whither they journey'd then, ah, who may tell !—
Beyond all limits that the sailor knows;
Beyond the ocean; and beyond the swell
Of mountains; and beyond the Antarctic snows:
To some sweet haunt, 'tis told, where softly glows
Perpetual day,-some Island of the air:
We know its beauty; but we know not where.—
Eternal forests, on whose boughs the Spring
Hung undecaying, fenced the place around,
And amorous vines (like serpents without sting)
Clang to the trees, or trailed on the green ground,
And fountains threw on high a silver sound,
And glades interminably long, between
Whose branches sported the grey deer, were seen.
And from the clustering boughs the nightingale
Sang her lament; while on a reedy stream,
Which murmured and far off was heard to fall,
The swan went sailing by, like a white dream;
And somewhere near did the lone cuckoo call,
But none made answer; and his amorous theme
The thrush loud uttered till it spoke of pain;
And many a creature sang, but seemed to sing in vain.
There, rich with fruits, the tree of Paradise
(The plantain) spread its large and slender leaves,
And there the pictur'd palm was seen to rise,
And trembling aspen, and the tree that grieves.
(The willow) and sun-flowers like golden sheaves;
The lady lily paler than the moon,
And roses, laden with the breath of June.

The Girl of Provence.

MR. EDITOR. As your last Iris, No. 61, contains some interesting remarks on the Hand-writing of various English Monarchs, extracted from D'Israeli's Second Series of Literary Curiosities, the following article, on the Hand-writing of some of the most eminent Living Poets, from the same Work, with additional strictures on the subject of Autographs, by the Editor of Blackwood's Magazine, will, I doubt not, prove equally acceptable to the generality of your readers. S. X, March 31st, 1823.

Yours,

POETICAL HAND-WRITINGS.

'I am intimately acquainted with the hand-writings of five of our great poets. The first, Sir W. Scott, in early life acquired among Scottish advocates a handwriting which cannot be distinguished from that of his ordinary brothers; the second, Lord Byron, educated in public schools, where writing is shamefully neglected, composes his sublime or sportive verses in a schoolboy's ragged scrawl, as if he had never finished his tasks with the writing-master; the third, Rogers, writes his highly-wrought poetry in the common hand of a merchant's clerk, from early commercial avoca

tions; the fourth, Campbell, has all that finished neatness, which polishes his verses; while the fifth, Southey, is a specimen of a full mind, not in the habit of correction or alteration; so that he appears to be printing down his thoughts, without a solitary erasure. The hand-writing of the first and third poets, not indicative of their character, we have accounted for; the others are admirable specimens of characteristic autographs." D'Israeli.

Were it necessary, we could easily verify the accuracy of the above statements; in addition to which we present our readers with some brief characteric strictures on the autograph of our contemporary Authors.

"Wordsworth's hand-writing is elumsy, strong, and unequal-more unequal than any great man's autograph we have ever happened to see....Coleridge's is a beautiful but very quaint and eccentric one: it is more like The Ancient Mariner' than Genevieve'—and not in the least like The Friend.'.... Mr. Crabbe writes like an elegant woman, every dot marked, but the lines flowing and sweetly formed. One, to look at it, would rather suspect him of a soft sentimental novel than of Sir Eustace Gray,' or 'Peter Grimes.'....Mr. Jeffrey writes as if he wrote against time with a stick dipt in ink-never was such a bideous unintelligible scrawl: yet there is a power and vivacity about it not unlike the man. It is quick, careless, and inaccurate to the last degree,the hand-writing of a Reviewer-not of an Author....Mr. Gifford, again, has the slow distinct formal fingers of a commentator-yet his hand-writing is a striking one, too, in some particulars....Hogg's autograph seems as he had never been designed but for painful chronicling of small beer. It is stiff, rigid, scraggy he could no more execute a flourish than a hexameter-but then the author of the Queen's Wake taught himself to write from imitation of printed books at twenty years of age.... Allan Cunningham writes a good running well-fashioned hand-his tasteful eye, Conversant with the finest forms of art, has enabled him to sink the stone-mason.... Mr. Wraugham's handwriting has the accurate and beautiful precision of his classical style....Theodore Hook writes as if he had penned billets-doux rather than comedies-Odoberty, strange contradiction, boasts one of the most easy, and, at the same time, finished autographs in the world -one would swear he was as incapable of indicting a blackguard ballad as Southey himself....Tickler bas a formal antique fist, that would equally set conjecture at defiance....Mr. Canning's penmanship has all the chasteness, and at the same time all the nervous weight of his mind. But there is not the least of his ornamental rhetoric in its turns....Mr. Peel writes a sober, soholarlike hend-a true Christ-church fist....Cobbett's hand-writing is very like Brougham's, only thicker in the hairstroke, and the pen not quite so well made....Old Henry M'Kinzie still writes as if he were under five and thirty, we mean as to the ease and firmness of the hand-the shapes are not like the author of Julia de Roubigue, but the Exchequer attorney....Mr. Milman possesses a hand-writing of the most elaborate elegance-there is something stately in his very commas, and his capitals have a gorgeousness that looks almost sublime.... Professor Egan's handwriting was a very fine one when be wrote the first bunch of fives....Croley writes with a furious, ramBoxiana; but he has now acquired a slovenly use of the bling, excursive, but most vigorous paw."-Blackwood's Mag.

REVIEWS.

The Life of Alexander Reid, a Scottish Cove nanter. Written by himself, and Edited by Archibald Prentice, his Great-Grandson, with Notes and an Appendix, forming a brief His tory of the attempts of Charles II. and James II., to establish Episcopacy in Scotland. We have recently had the character of the Scotch Puritans presented in so very different points of view, and in such opposite lights, that it is not easy to discover the truth concerning them. By some they are considered as martyrs to the good cause, and their memory is cherished with reverence and veneration. By others their enthusiasm is laughed at, their manners and language are ridiculed, and they are branded as rebels to that lawful authority which sought only to repress their