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its bright green leaves, and its lively yellow flowers, is often found near the repositories of manure, and exemplifies the genus (erysimum) by the exact squareness or four-sided nature of its pods.

In our cut a, is the style; b, the germen or nascent pod; c, stamens, four longer and two shorter; e, calyx; d, petal.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM.-ITALY. From Rae Wilson's work, "Records of a Route through France and Italy, with Sketches of Catholicism." Just published.

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IT is not probable that any plans for diffusing education among the mass of the people will be admitted into Italy so long as the priests retain their ascendancy; for they are well aware that an increase of knowledge-I ought rather to say a diminution of their present ignorance -would render the lower classes less super- | stitious and submissive. In roman catholic countries rel gion seems to be entirely the affair of the clergy and the vulgar. The educated classes, or, at least, such among them as are educated to think, are, with few exceptions, totally indifferent to religion, unless it be as far as it is their policy to impress their inferiors with its importance. Nor is this at all astonishing; since it is hardly possible that a thinking man should not be staggered at the palpable absurdities of romanism, even in its mildest form, and secretly despise what it may not be always safe or prudent openly to impugn. The extravagances of that system have been too frequently and too ably exposed to render it necessary more than to hint at them: saint-worship, relic-worship, priest-worship, the spells of paternosters, genuflexions, tapers, processions, the imputed authority of childish legends and ridiculous tales; and to all those, though in themselves but a part, may be added the forced and unnatural celibacy of the pro. fessed religious of both sexes, with the consequent violation of their vows. That the romish church appears no longer the arrogant despot it formerly was, cannot be denied; but the change has been wrought from without, pressed upon it by circumstances it could not resist. Had the reformation been extinguished in its birth, the Vatican of the nineteenth century would not have been a whit more tolerant than when in the zenith of its power; and perhaps at this very instant another Borgia or another Medici might have been seated in the papal chair.

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SPIDERS AND THEIR WEBS.-No. II. FAR more curious than the web of our common house-spider is the structure prepared by a species of hunting-spider (uroctea 5maculata) found in Egypt, Dalmatia, among the mountains of Narbonne, and the Pyrennees. It is to M. Dufour that we are indebted for the history of its habits. establishes," according to his account, (6 the under surface of large stones or the clefts of rocks, a dwelling in the form of a hood or bowl, of a full inch in diameter; its circumference presents seven or eight niches, of which the angles alone are fastened on the stone, by means of bundles of threads, whilst the edges are free. singular tent is of an admirable texture: the exterior resembles the finest taffeta, and consists, according to the age of the manufacturer, of a greater or less number of layers. Thus when the uroctea, as yet young, begins to establish its retreat, it fabricates no more than two webs, between which it ensconces itself. Subsequently, and, as I think, at each moult, it adds a certain number of layers. Finally, when the period destined for reproduction arrives, it weaves an apartment expressly for the occasion more downy and soft, wherein to shut up the sacks of eggs and the recently hatched young. Although the external hood, or tent-cloth, may be, no doubt, designedly more or less fouled or obscured by foreign particles, which serve the purpose of disguising its appearance, the apartment of the industrious manufacturer is ever delicately neat and clean. The pockets or bags, which inclose the eggs, are four, five, or even six in number in each dwelling, which, however, is but a single dwelling; their form is lenticular, and their diameter upwards of four lines. They are made of taffeta, white as snow, and are furnished internally with the finest down. The laying of the eggs does not take place before the end of December or the beginning of January. The offspring have, therefore, to be protected from the rigour of the season as well as from the inroads of enemies. All has been provided against: the receptacle of this precious deposit is separated from the web, immediately in contact with the stone, by a layer of soft down, and from the outer envelope by the different folds described. Among the niches, which border the tent, some are altogether closed by the continuity of the web, but others have their edges simply wrapped over, so that the spider, by raising them, has free exit and entrance from and into the tent.

"When it goes abroad, to hunt for

"When the young are of sufficient age to dispense with the cares of their maternal parent, they take their departure, and go elsewhere to establish their separate abodes, while the mother addresses herself to die in her tent. Thus, it is at the same time the cradle and the tomb of the uroctea." The mansion of this interesting spider is, however, no more than its dwelling; it is not an engine in which to entrap its victim, like the horizontal web of the domestic spider already described, or the filmy network of the geometric spider of our garden, to whose labours we shall devote our concluding paper. M.

our necessary calamities; of that spirituality of mind and acquaintance with heavenly things, which is the purest

food, it has little cause to fear the violation of its dwelling, possessing, as it alone does, the secret of the impenetrable niches, and the key of those which serve for in-pleasure a man can meet with here, and gress. the necessary introduction to still purer But and brighter happiness hereafter *Lad we in himself God needs us not! never been born, our songs would never be missed in the full chorus of angels; and were we all now to perish, he could raise up, from the dust beneath our feet, a better and a worthier race of creatures than we are. Who, then, are we, and what are our good deeds, that we should venture to praise them in his presence? But further: all these things, in the performance of which we pride ourselves, are, after all, no more than our duty. We are commanded to do them; we are threatened most severely if we neglect them. All the good deeds which we have done are therefore, in fact, nothing more than so many instances in which we have not done evil; and who shall say that true, would be, in itself, an equitable our not deserving hell, supposing it to be claim on such a vast reward as heaven? -Bishop Heber.

GOOD DEEDS.

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WHOSOEVER prides himself on his own good deeds, in the sight of God, must suppose one or both of two things either that those good deeds have of themselves some power to gratify or benefit God, so as that the Deity owes him heaven in repayment for the advantages he has received from him; or that those actions, for which he expects rewards, were, at least, in his own choice to perform or to neglect, and such as, if he had neglected them, God could have had no reason for punishing him. But how different from the truth are both these suppositions! In the first instance, so highly exalted is God above all our actions and their consequences, that it is plain he needs none of our services; that the obedience of such worms as we are is as nothing in his sight, whom all the cheru bim and seraphim serve in their bright and burning stations, who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and whose call the lightnings obey.

He bids us love each other, and do good to each other, because by this means we each of us shall make the other happy, or relieve each other's distress. He bids us be sober, honest, chaste, industrious, because it is by an observance of these rules alone that we can keep ourselves in health, in cheerfulness, and in worldly prosperity. He bids us pray to him, and give him thanks, and serve him, because he thus opens to us a fresh source of strength for the discharge of our duties; of hope and comfort under

CHEMISTRY.-No. XX.

(CONCLUSION.)

It is scarcely possible for any man to acquaint himself with the general principles of science, without being impressed with the evidence of Almighty power, skill, wisdom, and benevolence which is constantly before him. No devout mind can peruse the brief outline we have given of the science of chemistry, without tracing the hand of a perfect Intelligence, or observing the irresistible proofs of contrivance, design, and benevolence evinced in the elementary constitution of bodies, and in the phenomena that result therefrom. The discoveries of modern chemists afford some of the most obvious illustrations of the munificence with which God has provided for the support, preservation, and comfort of his creatures, that can be selected from the records of scientific truth. It may not be inappropriate to refer, in this place, to a few of the more striking facts.

We have often thought that the comparative fewness of the elements that compose the materials and productions of the earth, might be mentioned as a proof of the wisdom with which the Creator has arranged the materials that he brought into existence. It is more than possible, that many of the substances we are unable to decompose,

afterwards adapted, by existing causes, to pass through the same succession.

"Nature with open volume stands,

To spread her Maker's praise abroad,
And every labour of his hands

and consequently describe as elements, | from which they were derived, and may be may be compounds, and that the number of simple substances is much less than we imagine: but, supposing that we have formed an accurate opinion of them, the simplicity of arrangement displayed in the constitution of matter must be admitted. An endless variety of appearances are presented by material objects, and yet they are all composed of, and may be reduced to a small number of original substances.

The constitution of the atmosphere is equally adapted to excite our admiration of creative wisdom. The precise proportion of oxygen and nitrogen, best adapted for the support and convenience of man, has been adopted; for if any other gases with which we are acquainted, or any other proportion of those employed, had been used for the purpose, animal life would either have been burdensome, or have suffered an immediate extinction. We might, therefore, with confidence, ask the atheist, Is there here no proof of design, no demonstration of wisdom, in the benevolent provisions for the happiness of man? But we should take a very imperfect view of the subject, if we did not connect with the facts already mentioned, the provision which has been made for the continuance of the present arrangement. Oxygen is constantly abstracted from the atmosphere, by the respiration of animals, by the process of combustion, and by other means. There should, therefore, be some restorative agent; and in the vegetable world we find it, for plants universally give off oxygen gas, and absorb the nitrogen.

The indestructibility of matter is another interesting subject of contemplation. Matter is constantly suffering change, but all its varieties of character and form are governed by established agents. When bodies suffer from combustion, or are reduced to a state of putrefaction, it might be supposed by the superficial observer, that they are deprived of all useful properties, or that the matter itself is destroyed. Such, however, is not the case; for there is only a change of character, and the substance produced may be of great value.

Both animal and vegetable bodies, during their growth, combine with other substances, obtaining support and nourishment from them. But these bodies may afterwards become the food of animated beings, and be made a part of them; but after having passed through a series of inexplicable processes, they are united again, without any absolute loss to the earthy matter

"When

Shows something worthy of a God.' When we remember the boundless variety of form presented in the vegetable world, and that plants are composed of four or five elementary substances, we shall scarcely fail to deduce from the fact the wisdom and skill of the Creator. we consider," says Parkes, "that the many thousand tribes of vegetables are not only all formed from a few simple substances, but that they all enjoy the same sun, vegetate in the same medium, and are supplied by the same nutriment, we cannot but be struck with the rich economy of nature, and are almost induced to doubt the evidence of those senses with which the God of nature has furnished us. That it should be possible to modify and intermingle a few substances, and thence to produce all the variety of form, colour, and odour which is observable in the different families of vegetables, is a phenomenon too astonishing for our comprehension. Nothing short of Omnipotence could have provided such a paradise for man.

"Soft roll your incense, herbs, and fruits, and flowers, In mingled clouds to Him, whose sun exalts, Whose breath perfumes you, and whose pencil paints."

Happy the man who can thus study nature, and at the same time personally feel its Author to be reconciled to him J. W. S. through the sacrifice of Christ.

ALEXANDER, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA. DR. PINKERTON says:-The Princess Mestchersky enjoyed the intimate acquaintance and friendship of the late Emperor Alexander, for many years previous to his decease. He valued her superior talents and acquirements, and derived pleasure and edification from her intimate knowledge both of doctrinal and experimental christianity. His death proved a severe stroke to her; it was an event which she dwelt upon in several of her letters written to me at the time. And as the religious character of Alexander 1. has been much suspected, even by some who formerly used to think favourably of it, and as it is but partially known to the world at large, I take the liberty of here introducing some extracts of a communication from the princess on this

interesting subject, written at the time of his death, which will no doubt be read with pleasure. It is the lively effusion of a fervent and energetic mind, and bears the marks of a friendly partiality; yet there are matters of fact stated, and just views of the real religious character of the late emperor given, which few, except herself, had sufficient opportunities of knowing, or ability to appreciate.

"St. Petersburg, June 1, 1826. ".... View the Emperor Alexander, sovereign of an immense empire, at the head of a formidable army, proud of his power, full of the fire of youth, and ambitious of the glory of this world! He neglects, he misunderstands the source of all his blessings; and, trusting to an arm of flesh, he beholds victory and triumph before him, forgetting that no king is saved by the multitude of a host-a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.' He is still totally destitute of true faith. Bonaparte, like a thunderbolt, smites his troops in all quarters they flee before this genius of evil, this messenger of wrath; and, in a short time, the emperor beholds a part of his empire devastated, the ancient capital of his dominions delivered to the flames, his people flying from city to city, his troops scattered in disorder, and without supplies all around reigns desolation, and blood flows on every side.

to contain a petition for something, and therefore put it in his pocket; and, when she was gone, resumed his former employment. Soon after, he took his departure, without thinking more about it.

"At the first night's quarters, fatigued with cares, and alone, he wished to ease his thoughts, by turning them to some specific object: he took out the paper from his pocket, opened it, and saw with surprise that it contained the ninety-first psalm. He read it with pleasure, and its divine contents calmed his troubled spirit; and his heart said in secret- Oh! that these words were addressed to me!' As this thought passed through his mind, some one entered the room, and interrupted him he again set off, and all was forgotten.

"A considerable time after this, he found himself in Moscow, in one of the most critical periods of his life-(who can be ignorant of the terrible events of the memorable year 1812?) Alone in his cabinet, he was arranging some books on a table, one of which caused a volume of the Bible to fall down it was De Sacy's version, in 4to. In falling, it opened; and the emperor, on taking it up, happened to cast his eye upon the page, and beheld again the psalm which had once comforted him. He read, he applied what he read, and he found every word suitable to himself; and ever after, until his last breath, he carried this psalm about his "In this state of distress, the Lord sup- person, learned it by heart, and evening and ports him, but without revealing himself to morning recited it at his devotions. After him. He inspires him with courage and his death, his valet-de-chambre stated, that firmness then he approaches nearer, and the emperor had always a certain paper in darts on his soul a ray of his grace, by the following means.

"About the middle of the year 1812, the emperor, about to quit St. Petersburg, and having taken leave of his august family, had retired into his cabinet, and, quite alone, was employed in arranging some affairs before his departure. All at once he beheld a female enter, whom, at first, he did not recognise, there being little light in the room. Astonished at this apparition,-for never was a woman permitted to enter his cabinet without leave, not even of his own family, and, above all, at this unseasonable hour, he, however, arose, went to meet her, and perceived her to be the Countess Tolstoi; who, excusing herself for the liberty she had taken from a desire to wish him a happy journey, presented him, at the same time, with a paper. The emperor, at all times condescending, and sensible of the least proof of attachment, thanked her, and bade her adieu. The paper he supposed

his pocket, which he prohibited them from touching, otherwise than to remove it from one coat-pocket to another, according as he changed his uniform. No person had any knowledge of its contents, or believed that it could be any other than a paper of importance, which the emperor had received in some mysterious way; it was only when they opened it, at his decease, that they recognised the soul and sentiments of him whom they deplored. They sent this precious paper to the Empress Dowager, at St. Petersburg; and it was put into his coffin along with him.

"Now the softened heart of the monarch received this beam of light with joy; and from the moment that the new creature waş born, he applied himself incessantly to the study of the Divine word, which he never put from him. He now came to know his weakness; he cried unto God; and the Lord armed him, like David, with faith and experience; whereupon, behold! a

new Goliath falls beneath the strokes of him, whom, but a short time before, he expected to vanquish.

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"We will not, however, attempt to follow this christian hero in the brilliant career of his victories; but merely remark, that he himself spoke of them in the following terms:-I felt myself,' said he, like a child; experience had taught me my insufficiency; faith made me commit myself entirely to Him who had spoken to me in the psalm, and had inspired me with a security and a force altogether new to me. At every fresh difficulty to be overcome, at every decision to be taken, or question to be solved, I went, if I had an opportunity, and threw myself at the feet of my Father who is in heaven: or, recollecting myself for a few moments, I cried to him from the bottom of my heart; and all was smooth, decided, and executed marvellously; all difficulties fled before the Lord, who marched before me. Without ceasing, I read his word. I remember, that one day, on entering a small town on the frontier of France, the name of which town I have forgotten, sitting in my calash, I was reading in the New Testament about the eunuch of Queen Candace reading the prophet Isaiah, and desiring some one to explain to him what he read. I then thought within myself "Oh! that God would also send me some one to help me rightly to understand his holy will.' And at the very time I was desiring this in my heart, Madam Krudner sent, asking permission to see me.

religion; but I am bold to say that there was not one among them who had reached his stature. His noble and tender spirit soon felt the chilling atmosphere of his court; and he spoke no more of religion, or of the state of his soul, or of his pious sentiments, except to the very few whom he knew to be of the same mind with himself.

"The two last years of his life were years of suffering. Sometimes sick himself, and not willing to show it, lest he should alarm his relatives and friends, he allowed his health to be silently undermined by evils which he did not oppose, until he was forced to do so in order not to fall an immediate sacrifice to them: at other times, he suffered exceedingly on account of the incurable disease of his august spouse, the empress, whom he seldom quitted in her sickness. He attended her during that period constantly: night and day he watched her himself, and administered the medicine to her: he marked with anxiety the least change, the slightest alteration in her case, a case which presented nothing but symptoms of despair.

"He died in peace, after having passed two of the happiest months which he had spent in this world; and his last words, after having received the communion, were, 'I have never felt so happy!' He was tired of his crown, he was tired of his throne; for he had taken up his cross to follow the Lord; and often, very often, had he longed for the moment when he should For a be called to lay it down, with his life, at short time I believed that it was she whom the feet of his Saviour." God intended to employ for this purpose; but very soon I perceived that this light was nothing more than an ignis fatuus.' These are his own words.

"And, truly, it was the will of God that none but himself should instruct and guide this soul of his own choice, this heart open to his love; and I must say, that I have often been astonished; and not only I, but other persons also, even the most instructed and advanced christians, have been compelled to admire his enlightened faith, and his deep knowledge, drawn purely from the sacred Scriptures; his true humility, and how he gave himself up to that simplicity which the Lord requires, when he promiseth, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'

"Whence had he this divine knowledge? We know all those who surrounded him, all with whom he spoke on the subject of

FAITH.

THOSE that receive Christ with an unfeigned faith shall never want a weddinggarment to adorn them in the sight of God.

Faith itself is very precious in the sight of God, and most holy, 2 Pet. i. 1, Jude 20. God loves it because it giveth the glory of our salvation only to the free grace of God in Christ, Rom. iv. 16, and renounceth all dependence on any conditions that we can perform to procure a right to Christ, or to make ourselves acceptable to him. The excellency of faith lies in this, that it accounteth not itself, nor any work of ours, a sufficient ornament to make us acceptable in the sight of God. It will not be our weddinggarment itself; but it buyeth of Christ white raiment that we may be clothed, and that the shame of our nakedness may not appear, Rev. iii. 18.—Marshal.

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