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and insects. He fixes his eyes upon them, and then darts his very long tongue at them, and draws them into his mouth, so that he might appear to be merely drawing in the air. It has been said, too, that this creature changes his colour to green, blue, and black, or, whatever he pleases. This is not true; though there are some variations in the shades of colour according to the different lights in which the animal is seen. Upon this notion, however, a very pretty fable in verse is founded, which may teach us not to be violent and positive in our own opinions, since, after all, we may be wrong; or, though we are partly right, those who differ from us may be so too. Why are we to suppose that nobody can be right but ourselves'?-National School Magazine, vol. i. p. 204.

THE NAUTILUS.

THIS is a very curious shellfish. The shell is so formed that it serves all the purposes of a boat to the animal that inhabits it. In calm weather, the Nautilus rises to the surface of the water, and spreads its arms out of its shell, and makes them answer the purpose of oars, the two hinder ones serving as rudders: it then lifts up a sort of double thin membrane, which Providence has given it, and this answers the purpose of sails. It can turn these sails in whatever direction it pleases, and thus catch the advantage of the wind. In this way, the extraordinary creature is sent forward by the breeze, like a ship under sail. When it perceives any danger nigh, it immediately draws itself up in its shell, and sinks to the bottom. The manner in which it sinks or rises is truly beautiful and wonderful. The shell is very thin and light; and, in the sort of Nautilus which we are here describing, it is divided into several separate apartments, and it is there

1 This fable is in our first volume, page 118.

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1834.]

GARDENING.

243 fore called the chamber Nautilus'. The animal lives in the largest of these, but he has a sort of hollow tube, which passes through a small hole in the walls, which separate these chambers. By means of this tube, he can fill all his chambers with water, and then he becomes heavy, and will sink. When he wishes to rise again, he can, by means of the tube, get rid of the water, and then he becomes light, and rises to the top of the water. This is, indeed, a beautiful contrivance, and this little animal may indeed be called wonderful. And so, in truth, may every creature that the Almighty has made.

It is thought that the ancients learned the art of sailing from observing the Nautilus. Theirs was the paper Nautilus, such as is seen in the picture.

Learn of the little Nautilus to sail,

Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale.-Pope.

GARDENING.

Importance of constant weeding.-WELL do I recollect the expression he, (Mr. Crossling, the gardener at White Hills, near Chester-le-street,) used to employ :--that " a garden well kept was easily kept." It was his practice to hoe quarters, (that is, different divisions of the garden,) planted with vegetables soon after they were put in the ground, which not only destroyed all seed-weeds, when first springing up, but loosened the soil, and admitted heat and air to penetrate to the roots of the plants; thus accelerating, (hastening) their growth. Bad gardeners never think of applying the hoe and rake to a piece of ground until it is completely covered with weeds; and, often, not before these have shed their seed. If they would think of the old proverb, that "a stitch in time saves nine," they would not be so dilatory. The length of time it takes to clean a quarter overrun with weeds, and one with the weeds scarcely making their appearance, must be clear to every one; not taking into account the crop that will soon make its appearance, if the weeds have seeded.—(From the Gardener's Magazine.) D. I. E.

In the notes taken by the able conductor of the Gar

1 The paper Nautilus has a shell like paper, and has only one apartment; but he has the same power of drawing in, or rejecting water.

dener's Magazine in the course of an extensive tour made this year through parts of Middlesex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent, we find these observations. "Since we passed through this tract of country in 1812 and 1813, we found a decided improvement had taken place in the Cottage Gardens, we may say every where, by the more frequent appearance of flowers in them, and by the prevalence of the China rose trained against the walls. The cottage dwellings are, on the whole, not worse, and on some estates they are a good deal improved. Many cottages, which before had no gardens, have now considerable portions of ground added to them, if not generally adjoining the cottage, in some neighbouring field. There is now hardly a cottage which has not ground attached to it in some way or other. Here and there, throughout the country, we observed labourers' cottages of a superior description erected or erecting. One of the most gratifying marks of improvement which we observed, was the establishment of day-schools in almost every town, and in many villages. There were also infant schools. Sent by D. I. E.

CURIOUS MANUSCRIPT.

In the library of the late Dr. Williams, in Red-cross Street, there is a curious manuscript, (i. e. book in writing,) containing the whole Book of Psalms, and all the New Testament, except the Book of the Revelations, in as many as 15 volumes, folio. The whole is written in letters an inch long, with a white composition on a black paper, manufactured on purpose. This perfectly unique (that is, there is none other like it,) copy of the Scriptures was written in 1745, (nearly 90 years ago,) at the cost of a Mr. Harris, a tradesman of London, whose sight had decayed with age, so as to prevent his reading the Scriptures, though printed in the largest type. He, therefore, incurred the expense of having them thus written out, that he might enjoy the privilege of continually searching into those rich sources of heavenly instruction and comfort, which are "more to be desired than gold; yea, than much fine gold." (Psalm xix. 10.) Oh, that there were such a mind as this in all of us! D. I. E.

1834.]

245

MR. EDITOR,

QUESTION IN HOUSEKEEPING.

AN admirer of your truly valuable publication, the Cottager's Monthly Visitor, will be much obliged if any one of your correspondents or readers, will furnish, for the information of himself and others, the best method of preventing bacon becoming rusty

Hampton, May 20th, 1834.

I am Sir, your obedient Servant,
W. H.

THE GLORIA PATRI.

THERE are few parts of our beautiful Church Service which we repeat so often, as that which is called the Gloria Patri, or in English the Glory. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. And yet perhaps it may be doubted whether there is any part which, when repeated, is so little considered as this. Perhaps the following remarks on it by Dr. Adam Clarke, may help some persons to understand it, and lead them to remember how very seriously and very humbly we, fallen and sinful creatures as we are, should utter these sublime and important words! "That short form of words, in its comprehensive force of language, comprises the whole mystery of godliness. The expression of it ought to raise the soul far above all earth's confines, to the very footstool of Jehovah; its words. embody the essentials of the Christian faith, as regards the ever-blessed Trinity; and the pronouncing them is an act of adoration offered to the Triune God, in all his several offices undertaken for man's redemption. Glory to the Father, who so loved the world:-to the Son, who gave himself up a spotless sacrifice :-to the Holy Ghost, who makes the heart of a child of Adam, a pure temple of the Spirit of God:-to these, glory and praise, throughout all ages, are ascribed;-and by whom? even by the subjects of such unfathomable love." D. I. E.

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