its former scarceness and dearness, it hath been only used as a regalia in high treatments and entertainments, and presents made thereof to princes and grandees, till the year 1657.' Secretary Pepys, in his Diary, vol. i, p. 76, without saying where he had his drink, makes the following entry:- Sept. 25th, 1660. I did send for a cup of tea (a China drink) of which I never had drank before, and went away.' In a letter from Mr. Henry Savill to his uncle, Secretary Coventry, dated from Paris, Aug. 12, 1678, and printed by Mr. Ellis, the writer, after acknowledging the hospitalities of his uncle's house, quaintly observes, These, I hope, are the charms that have prevailed with me to remember (that is to trouble) you oftener than I am apt to do other of my friends, whose buttery-hatch is not so open, and who call for TEA instead of pipes and bottles after dinner? a base unworthy Indian practice, and which I must ever admire your most christian family for not admitting. The truth is, all nations have grown so wicked as to have some of these filthy customs.' In 1678, the year in which the above letter is dated, the East India Company began the importation of tea as a branch of trade; the quantity received at that time amounting to 4713lbs. The importation gradually enlarged, and the government, in consequence, augmented the duties upon tea. By the year 1700, the importation of tea had arrived at the quantity of 20,000lbs. In 1721 it exceeded a million of pounds. In 1816 it had arrived at 36,234,380lbs. Something more than thirty millions of pounds is probably the present average of importation: some allowance must be made for tea damaged and spoiled upon the passage. See more on this subject, well worthy of perusal, in Mr. Ellis's Letters, Second Series, vol. iv, pp. 57, et seq. Astronomical Occurrences In DECEMBER 1828. SOLAR PHENOMENA. THE Sun enters Capricorn at 22 m. after 7 in the morning of the 21st of this month; and he rises and sets, during the same period, as in the following TABLE Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day. December 1st, Sun rises 56 m. after 7. Sets 6th 4 m. past 4 1 8 3 Equation of Time. When it is required to find true time from apparent, or that which is indicated by a good sun-dial, it is only necessary to employ the numbers as directed in the following Table, and to find those for the intermediate days, as in other instances. Those below correspond to noon of the given days. TABLE Of the Equation of Time for every fifth Day. m. S. Monday Dec. 1st, from the time by the dial sub. 10 27 Saturday.. 6th 8 35 6 20 ............ 3 56 1 28 Thursday.. 11th ..... .... Sunday. 21st .... Friday. 26th to the time by the dial add 1 2 Moon's Passage over the Meridian. The Moon will pass the first meridian at the following times this month, when her transits may be observed, if the weather be favourable: viz. 1st, at 21 m. after 7 in the morning December 2d .... 4 3d 50 .... .... 39 ..... 11th .... 10 12th 3 .... 13th 55 .... 4.5 ... .......... 7 in the evening 8 9 ... ... .... 5 in the morning Time of High Water at London for every fifth Day, If the numbers inserted at pp. 19-20 of this volume be added to or subtracted from the following numbers, the time of high tide for various other places will be obtained. The following is the proportion of the phases of this planet at the present time: Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. Jupiter is too near the Sun this month for any of these eclipses to be seen. Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars. Dec. 4th, with Venus, at 1 in the morning 5th 10th Mercury 3 in the afternoon 6 in Capricorn 9 in the morning. Other Phenomena. Mercury will attain his greatest elongation on the 1st of this month, and will be in conjunction with Jupiter at 5 in the morning of the 10th. Phenomenon at the Cape of Good Hope. Table Mountain.-A very striking phenomenon is observed at the Cape of Good Hope, when the wind blows from the south-east. Beyond the city, as viewed from the bay, there is a mountain of great elevation, called, from its extended flat summit, the Table Mountain. In general, its rugged steeps are seen rising in a clear sky; but when the south-east wind blows, the whole summit becomes enveloped in a cloud of singular density and beauty. The inhabitants call the phenomenon the spreading of the table-cloth. The cloud is composed of immense masses of fleecy whiteness. It does not appear to be at rest on the hill, but to be constantly rolling onward from the south-east; yet, to the surprise of the beholder, it never descends, because the snowy wreaths seen falling over the precipice towards the town below, vanish completely before they reach it, while others are formed to replace them on the other side. The reason of this phenomenon is, that the air constituting the wind from the south-east having passed over the vast southern ocean, comes charged with as much invisible moisture as its temperature can sustain. In rising up the side of the mountain it is rising in the atmosphere, and is therefore gradually escaping from a part of the former pressure; and on attaining the summit, it has dilated so much, and has consequently become so much colder, that it lets go part of its moisture. This then appears as the cloud now de scribed; but its substance no sooner falls over the edge of the mountain, and again descends in the atmosphere to where it is pressed, and condensed, and heated as before, than the water is re-dissolved, and disappears: thus the magnificent apparition dwells only on the mountain top.—Arnott's Physics. As a suitable close to the Astronomical Occurrences of the present year, we shall insert the following Questions and Answers, by Mr. Montgomery, which we do with the greater pleasure, as they bear directly upon the path along which we are always anxious to conduct our youthful readers, Through Nature, up to NATURE'S GOD.' Stars, wherefore do you rise? To light thy spirit to the skies. Fair Moon, why dost thou wane? O Sun, what makes thy beams so bright? Nature, whence sprang thy glorious frame? My Maker called me, and I came. What is yon arch, which every where I see? The sign of omnipresent Deity. TIME, whither dost thou flee? - I travel to eternity. Eternity, what art thou,—say? Time past, time present, time to come-to-day. |