man. have chosen the cultivation of the field as their | make some of them better philosophers and no outward employment; and his sentiment, thus worse men." Alluding to a peculiarly critical excellently expressed, will shew the foundation season for harvest in the year 1816, when the on which it was formed. "I consider religion, continuance for a few days longer, of the unfathe Christian religion, as that which, after educa-vorable weather, threatened to destroy the crops, tion has done its best, can furnish, and only can he says, "But just at this crisis when all seemed furnish the perfect model of an accomplished going to ruin, and the most active farmer could do no more than look on and behold the wreck; in this state of things the only change of weather that could have been availing was in mercy permitted; a high, cold, and penetrating wind arose, and in the course of a few hours quite changed the face of things; the farmers exerted themselves, and though considerable damage was sustained, the threatened scarcity was averted. I desire never to forget this impressive instance of providential correction and kindness, as manifested in such rapid succession through the medium of the elements." 1810-9th mo., 10th. "I might indeed, if not uncommonly dull, derive much instruction from the nature of my employment, of which, perhaps, few poetical lines are more justly descriptive than those which say The farmer's life displays in every part And may we not with equal truth add spiritual instruction also, to the well disposed and attentive mind? The husbandman, whilst exposed to the vicissitudes of the weather, and the changes To another friend he writes, "As a judge of of the seasons, deeply interested also, as he is, in rural affairs, and an admirer of the outward creathem, must have the fairest opportunity for tion, thou canst scarcely fail to observe with making observations upon their effects. The sensations of gratitude, the bounty of a gracious lilies arrayed in simple yet elegant loveliness, Providence in sending the present genial weather, and the ravens fed by the same providential hand, and with it a prospect of food and gladness to deare familiar objects to the sight; and if I may pendent and unworthy man, as well as to the once more boast, I do not remember a time when inferior and unconscious tribes of animal existI have seemed to myself more disposed to be in- ence; clothing also the vegetable kingdom in its structed by what we commonly call the operations new and annual robes of beauty. How numerof nature, than in the present very changeful ous and diversified are the reproduced adornments summer, in which perhaps the feelings of the of spring, where sin or sorrow, or the lust of community at large have experienced as much wealth does not cause them to pass unheeded. fluctuation as we ever remember from the same Next to the praises of the "great First Cause," causes. The late auspicious appearance for get- perhaps there is no subject to which verse is ting in the harvest has been particularly striking, more adapted, or on which it is better employed, being, if we may so speak, ushered in by a day than in unfolding the charms and splendors of as likely to create despondency in the farmer's his magnificent works, as these lie scattered mind as any I ever knew. What sentiments of every where, both in earth, in air and sea, migratitude and of confidence ought such a circum-nute and beautiful, or rude and grand. Accordstance to inspire, teaching us in everything to give thanks, and to believe that though wintry seasons are in wisdom ordained, and storms permitted to interrupt even the tranquillity of summer's cheerful hours, yet these are but for an appointed time, and for a determinate purpose! The sun breaks forth again, with undiminished splendor; the vegetable kingdom again expands with renewed beauty to his enlivening beams. The voice of the turtle, and the singing of birds are again heard in our land. May we then, under the most unfavorable appearances, learn to trust and not be afraid with slavish and unprofitable fear." Again he writes: "That our all is dependent upon an overruling Providence will be generally acknowledged; but how far the weather, as a second cause, is in his hand made the agent of plenty or scarcity, is perhaps too little considered. Were farmers seriously to reflect that they have no control over cold or heat, that they cannot command a ray of sunshine or a drop of rain, and that by a certain adjustment of all, their hopes are realized or disappointed; such thoughts might ingly some of our best poets, with several others, have contributed their mites in humbler strains to that general harmony which seems to bid creation through all its realms rejoice in the goodness and greatness, the wisdom and majesty of its Author." The peculiar charms of his dear green Gedney are thus described: "The rich appearance of our best old pastures this fine spring, long accustomed as I have been to see them, almost surprises me. I should like to walk with thee over some of our best grazing land, a small proportion of the whole, which is just now in its brightest appearance; the grass is so thick, so small in its blade, so verdant in its color, so short and so soft to the foot, that altogether, it might almost require a poet to describe it. However, in my sober language it happens to be beauty which I have eyes to see, and viewing it as I do, I am reconciled to my lowly allotment." "And thus, my friend, we are almost brought to the conclusion that it does not signify much where a man's home is, if he is but contented; and whilst we allow the mountaineer to be de thus blow over us, not unperceived, but with less danger and damage." lighted with the hill that lifts him to the storm, we may by the same rule suffer the inhabitants of a lower region to rejoice in the plain that Thus harmoniously are combined in the charfeeds, and to commend the bog that bears him."acter of our departed friend, the farmer and the "Gedney, like other grazing districts, often ap-humble Christian disciple; the refined and poetic pears to strangers rather dreary in winter, but is mind keenly alive to all the tender and beautiful now about its prime. A scene thou knowest associations of nature, with the wisdom that may be lovely, though the heart of him who views makes every event of life a lesson of instruction, it be faint; still the note of the blackbird and the while all the praise is reverently ascribed to the fragrance of the woodbine may help to keep him divine Creative Power' which fashioned the leaf from fainting. In the two latter charms of na- that unfolded itself six weeks ago in the forest, ture we just now excel." or the pattern of the leaf which was bathed in the dews of Paradise on the morning of creation.""* But looking beyond these beauties, we find him frequently making such acknowledgments as this: "Locality of outward situation and circumstance are in themselves very inferior considerations. Thus in the shade and retirement of country life I have often found How ill the scenes that offer rest, And heart that cannot rest agree; whilst in the crowded and busy metropolis, thou hast, I doubt not, enjoyed that quiet habitation, into which the Lord's children are at seasons permitted to enter; a rest which, as neither solitude nor silence can of themselves procure, so neither can tumults much disturb, certainly not destroy. Still with poor Cowper 'I love the country.'" A storm causing the loss of a large part of a valuable crop of grain, he remarks: "In endeavoring to reconcile my mind to this eircumstance, which probably thy religion or philosophy, or both, may say ought not to have disquieted it-but which combining as it did, the idea of mismanagement, waste and disappointed gain, could not fail to operate sensibly on a temperament like mine,-I was quickly made sensible that it would not do to make too much of it, even in soliloquy; and that something must be attempted to silence these inward repinings. In this labor, more severe than reaping, I thought myself helped by remembering the seaman's lot, whose life and whose property so often perish in the wave; and I was still further assisted by recollecting the manner in which The son of patience heard the wreck Of all his fortunes, camels, oxen, flocks, Sons, daughters-all in one sad hour o'erwhelmed. Thus renewedly fortified, though I had not the presumption to say "blow ye winds," yet I was enabled to view the storm, which was of long continuance, sporting as it were with my agricultural credit and profit, in a disposition very different, I trust, from stoical apathy. Were I to describe this disposition in one word, I perhaps might call it prostration before a Power who maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind, whom also, I think we are told, the winds and the waves obey. This humble attitude of soul I can recommend, having found on occasions of far different importance to that now described, the folly of resisting, and the safety of bending before the tempest which may (To be continued.) GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. (Continued from p. 4, vol. 7.) Much that is essential to the wants of man, is comprised in the cocoa-tree. In proof of this we may observe, that the inhabitants of the Nicobar islands build their vessels, make the sails and cordage, supply themselves with provisions and other necessaries, prepare a cargo of arrack, vinegar, oil, and coarse sugar, cocoa-nuts, cordage, and black paint, with several inferior articles for foreign markets, from the multifarious productions of this valuable tree. "Lo! higher still the stately Palm-trees rise, As if their branches never breeze had known! These vegetable columns are often seen in the vast deserts of the Zaara, rising to the height of perhaps one hundred feet. They comprise within themselves many things that are essential to the wants of man: fruit; a sweet mucilaginous juice resembling milk; honey from the dates; and a grateful food for the sheep and camels, by steeping the stones in water. It is even said that from one variety of the Palm Tree, the phanix farinifera, a meal has been extracted, which is found among the fibres of the stem. The trunk is employed for fuel; a spirituous liquor is prepared from the sap; the fibres of the boughs furnish threads, ropes, and rigging; the leaves are used for brushes, for mats and bags, for baskets and couches, and as fans for chasing away the troublesome insects that infest hot countries; the branches, too, are employed in making cages for poultry, and garden fences. But the phonix is a lofty tree, and its vegetable treasures, its leaves, and fruit, grow at a great height. obtain them, would, therefore, be extremely dif ficult; the tribes which inhabit the wild deserts of Barbary, know little of modern inventions, and *Everett. To even if they did, the carrying of a ladder to any considerable distance would be inconvenient, if not impossible; but the difficulty is provided for, and the phoenix, notwithstanding its great height, may be ascended as readily as a step-ladder. The trunk is full of cavities, vestiges of decayed leaves, which have within them a flat surface, exactly adapted for the reception of the hands and feet. The natives, therefore, run nimbly up the towering phoenix, and even boys and women are not afraid to venture. This noble tree attains its greatest perfection in the vast deserts of Sahara, and in Arabia, because there its presence is essential. Wandering tribes frequent the extensive precincts of these deserts, and scarcely anything will grow there, except occasionally a few solitary patches of maize. Exposed to a burning sun, and sometimes covered with drifts of sand, vegetation proceeds slowly, even on the borders of the desert, and the hopes of the husbandman are frequently disappointed. Without this valuable tree, man might indeed exist, because the camel would suffice for every actual want; but how could the camel be supported? Provender will sometimes fail, and then, as I have before observed, the stones of the fruit, when steeped in water, support both men and camels in long journeys across the desert. To those, too, who lead a settled life upon its borders, beside their palm groves, and are within reach of water, these noble trees supply many needful wants; and on those great wastes of sand, that are never trodden, except by the wandering steps of predatory Arabs, the palm-tree stands majestic and alone, a storehouse richly supplied with all that is essential to their wants. It not only yields a salutary food for both men and cattle, but uniformly indicates fresh water near the roots. Groves of palms are often seen like beacons, in the midst of sultry deserts; and beneath their umbrageous canopy, the fainting traveller may find a shelter in the noonday heat. Some of these are very ancient. That of Elim yet remains, and its twelve fountains have neither increased nor diminished in number, since the days of Moses. We may also notice, in connexion with this interesting portion of our subject, that firs are mostly resinous, and thus, they not only shelter animals of various kinds, but they furnish the natives with torches and fuel. The charcoal they produce is peculiarly adapted for smelting the minerals, which often abound in their vicinity, while the mosses, that so abundantly clothe the branches, as to hang like a canopy around the trunk, may be ignited from the slightest spark. A Swedish naturalist relates, that being obliged to pass a night in the lofty mountains of the Straits of Tronto, where he was botanizing, he observed numerous larches completely whitened with moss. The shepherds, in order to amuse him, set fire to the mosses on several of the trees, and immediately the whole country appeared in a blaze. The effect was beautiful, the darkness was instantaneously dispelled, and innumerable sparks seemed to ascend to the very heavens, while a most agreeable odour was everywhere diffused. Our naturalist further observed, that a pecular kind of fungus grew upon the larch, and that the inhabitants of those sterile regions used it to keep up their fires, and to make matches. The Creator, in crowning the summits of these cold and ferruginous mountains with vegetable torches, has placed the match in their branches, as St. Pierre pleasingly observes, the tinder on their trunks, and the steel at their roots. Swedish botanists uniformly notice, that the most resinous pines are to be found in dry and sandy regions, and high mountainous districts; and we may also remark, in reference to the general characteristics of the fir, that its leaves are admirably adapted, by their configuration, to resist the impetuosity of the winds, which blow with unceasing violence over elevated places. Thus they stand, bulwarks of Nature's making, to repel the cold; noble pillars to support the rugged branches, that form impenetrable canopies to resist the weight of snow; but when the winter is past, nothing can surpass the beautiful green tints that are every where conspicuous. The solemn firs then burst into festoons of the most vivid emerald color, and throw out from the extremity of their branches, yellow tufts of stamina, which give them the appearance of vast pyramids, loaded with little lamps. Vegetation assumes a very different aspect in the torrid regions of the globe. There palmtrees, tallipots, cocoas, and bananas, adorn the tropics. Their inhabitants suffer much from heat, and, therefore, has the Most High clothed the country with trees of amazing height, and ample foliage, the shade of which defends them from the beams of a fervid sun, and affords a cool and refreshing shelter during the most sultry season of the year. The air beneath, and in their vicinity, is thus tempered, and various animals find beneath them a pleasant and safe retreat. Birds are screened among their branches, and gay-coated butterflies, and burnished insects, retire thither, not so much to avoid their enemies, as to find a shelter from the sunbeams. Who does not acknowledge in this beautiful arrangement, the uniform care of Providence in thus assigning to the south, trees, that are always green, and with an ample foliage, in order to screen the animal creation from the heat. The fruit, also, instead of being exposed to the action of the sunbeams, generally ripens under the shelter of broad leaves, and is either attached to the trunk, or to the sprouting of the branches, instead of being elevated, on a cone, like that of the fir; or open to the sun, as those of our temperate regions, in order to imbibe its fullest influence. Those arts which either adorn or improve life, are undoubtedly the gift of God. We may read four different kinds of Fresnel lights, graduated in size to suit the positions they are to occupy and the distances they are required to be seen, and each kind is subdivided into what are styled respectively "fixed," "revolving or flashing," and "fixed varied by flashes." The light at the Crystal Palace is of the first or largest kind, and is a revolving or flashing light. These flashing lights may be varied by the duration of the flash and eclipse, and in some cases colored flashes have been used for distinction. Captain Meade, of the Topographical Engineers, thus describes the light which is in the exhibition : in the twenty-eighth of Isaiah, v. 26 and 29, | Hatteras light-house, which latter place is not that the High and Lofty One, who inhabiteth yet prepared to receive it. A similar one is in eternity, has not disdained to direct the labor of operation at Sand Key, in Florida. There are the husbandman. Throughout the twenty-sixth, the twenty-seventh, and twenty-eighth of Exodus, we find that various beautiful and curious arts were first revealed to man, neither sought out by human ingenuity, nor suddenly brought to mind by any quickness of apprehension, but immediately made known to Moses, and by him communicated to such as were selected for the purpose. It appears, from the thirty-first of Exodus, that many of those arts, which are now essential to the comforts of civilised society, as the carving of timber, and the shaping of stones, the working of gold, of brass, and silver, were bestowed as peculiar gifts on one, whom the Lord "had filled with his own spirit, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship." We further learn, that even the twining of fine linen, with blue, and purple, and scarlet, the arts of dyeing, and engraving, were derived from the same pure source. And to His glory, who first gave them, might they ever have been consecrated, had not man, bent upon his own injury, marred every gift which his Creator assigned him. It seems as if these beautiful and valuable arts were first bestowed for the accomplishment of a peculiar purpose, namely, the erecting, and adorning of a splendid tabernacle, in which the Divine Presence was to be gloriously manifested; but when this purpose was accomplished, it is evident that mankind were allowed to apply the knowledge, which they had thus divinely acquired, to their own immediate benefit. How important to a pastoral nation, must have been the arts of squaring stones, and carving timber! They are the groundworks of our proudest structures in the present day; and when we see around us materials for various elegant and pleasing arts, surely we cannot doubt that the Almighty has assigned them to his creature man, as recreations from those often laborious and wearisome pursuits to which he is subjected; or else, that he might find in them, a preservation from dangerous and frivolous amusements. Such are the arts of painting, of sculpture, and of music: and why should not these pure and beautiful arts be devoted to the glory of Him who gave them? We find that various colored earths are useful in painting; marble is the quarry of the statuary; box-wood is preferred in making flutes; ivory for the keys of the piano-forte: and without the Indian rubber tree, how could an artist frequently proceed in sketching the works of his Creator? THE FRESNEL LIGHT. "Fancy a twenty-four sided structure of glass, terminating at the top in a sort of truncated cone, or dome, the whole being about ten feet high and six feet in diameter-each of the twenty-four sides, instead of being composed of one or more plates of glass, being made partly of twenty-seven segments or sections of a great lens four feet three inches high, and partly of prisms so scientifically calculated, so artistically constructed, and so nicely put together, that each prism refracts the ray from one of its surfaces, reflects it from the second, and refracting it again from the third, shoots it forth in a sun like beam of light. Thus, from its twenty-four sides and 1008 lenses and prisms, at the same instant and perpetually, this marvellous contrivance darts forth its dazzling flash, and revolving as it flashes, only intermits its light still more to startle the beholder. "The light is produced by a single lamp placed in the common focus. It is a carcel lamp, with a burner of concentric wicks, the largest being nearly 4 inches in diameter. These wicks are kept constantly saturated with oil, which is pumped up from a reservoir below, thus preventing undue carbonization, and producing the maximum brilliancy. The supplying pumps are moved by clock-work. The lamp, consisting of the clock-work, reservoir, and burner, sits upon a tripod, resting on the stationary part of the apparatus and by means of set-screws, can be very nicely adjusted in the focal plane. A cast iron column, or pedestal, sustains the whole structure, and has on it a shoulder with a bed plate of steel, with a beautiful arrangement of friction wheels and rollers by which the movable framework is supported and enabled to revolve. Motion is given to this by a handsome piece of clock-work. The whole machinery, and all the iron and brass work, are very complete, and well worthy of inspection." Besides the one at Sand Key, Florida, there are also three others in use on our coast-one of the second size at the Highlands of Neversink, There is now on exhibition at the Crystal one of the third size at the Brandywine Shoal Palace, New York, one of the Fresnel Lights, light, Delaware Bay, and one of the fourth size manufactured in Paris by order of the United on the Wangoschance light-house, Lake MichiStates government, and intended for the Cape gan. When the Cape Hatteras light is erected we shall have five of them in operation; and it is said to be the purpose of the Lighthouse Board to introduce them in all our first class or sea coast lights. They are almost the only lights used on the coast of France and the continent of Europe. As regards their value, it is stated that their light penetrates fogs, and may be seen at all times as far as the curvature of the earth will permit. One of these lights on the coast of France is said to have been seen by an observer on the English shore, at a distance of fifty miles. A great economy of oil is effected by their use.-American and Gazette. FRIENDS' REVIEW. PHILADELPHIA, TENTH MONTH 22, 1853. MARRIED,-On the 21st of last month, at Friends Meeting, at Oakridge, Grant Co., Indiana, JOSEPH RICH to MARY NEAL, both of the same Meeting. On the 22d of last month, at Friends' Meeting, at Back Creek, Grant Co., Indiana, MI- On the 10th inst., JAMES OWEN to ALMIRA At Friends' Meeting, at Nettle Creek, Wayne County, Indiana, on the 21st of 9th month last. JOSIAH TEST, of Whitewater Monthly Meeting, to MIRIAM C. DENNIS, of Springfield Monthly Meeting. On the 22d of 9th month last, at Friends' Meeting, at West River, Wayne Co., Indiana, SAMUEL LAMAR to EUNICE COFFIN, both of Springfield Monthly Meeting. Winslow, in the 17th year of his age, a member DIED, On the 16th ult., JESSE, son of Seth of Rock Creek Monthly Meeting, Indiana. In Providence, R.I., on the 8th inst., at the residence of her brother, Dr. George L. Collins, SARAH ANN COLLINS, aged 37 years; a member of South Kingstown Monthly Meeting. FRIENDS' ASYLUM. Our readers will find in the present number of the Review, a description, at considerable length, of a work which, if successfully accomplished, may be fairly considered as the most stupendous that has been effected in modern times, by the genius and perseverance of man. And not the least curious circumstance connected with this wonderful structure, is the fact, that the union between the opposite shores of the foaming Niagara, which are about being joined by a bridge capable of sustaining a weight of ten thousand tons, was first effected by the string of a kite. A kite was probably never before rendered subservient to the execution of so magnificent an enterprise. The philosophical reader will doubtless remember that a kite, in the hands of Dr. Franklin, was made instrumental to the verification of a conjec-delphia for the Relief and Employment of the A meeting of "The Female Society of Philature, which, when announced in the Royal So- Poor," will be held at the "House of Industry, ciety, was received with a laugh, that lightning No. 70 North Seventh street, on Seventh day, 11th and electricity were identical. mo. 5th, at 3 o'clock. Whether all that is proposed by the engineer will be successfully accomplished, remains to be seen; but the suspension bridge which now bestrides the yawning gulf which there separates the dominions of Queen Victoria from the United States, furnishes a striking illustration how great results may be obtained from means and instruments apparently trivial. As this stupendous structure is designed to facilitate the intercourse between those who, though in character and language essentially one people, are politically divided into two, it is devoutly to be hoped that it may constitute an additional link, uniting in interest and affection the people who occupy its opposite extremes; and thus while facilitating the operations of commerce, be likewise conducive to the preservation of permanent peace. Upbraid only ingratitude. Wanted a Friend capable of keeping accounts, making purchases and rendering general assistance, at Friends' Asylum. Application may be made to Dr. J. H. WorthFrankford. ington, Superintendent, at the Institution near Philadelphia, 10th mo. 18th, 1853. PROHIBITION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. In a pamphlet, "An Appeal for Prohibition," recently printed in this city, the author, P. Coombe, after reciting and refuting the argument of the dealers in spirituous liquors, founded on the supposition that the prohibition would be an invasion of individual rights, proceeds as follows: Their second argument is, THE SACRIFICE OF CAPITAL INVESTED. This is their most powerful argument. It is contended that the money now invested in the traffic would be thrown out of employment, and serious injury result to many departments of trade. This is the identical argument used in the British Parliament, against the abolition of the slave trade. Col. Tarleton said: "It would annihilate a trade whose exports amounted to £800,000 annually, and which employed one hundred and sixty ves |