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elephant-hunt is more spirit-stirring, more romantic, than a description of the simple habits of a timid little animal, whose burrow is its refuge, and whose hours of pleasure and activity are during the silence of the night. Such an animal is the Cape jerboa, Helamys cafer. F. Cuvier. Pedetes cafer. Higea.

The Cape jerboa is an animal of the rodent order, and in the general contour of its body, the disproportion between the fore and hind limbs, and in the mode of progression, which is by a succession of leaps, it bears an evident relationship to the true jerboa (dipus) with which it was formerly associated, and from which it has been separated by modern naturalists; the grounds of such separation consisting in the character of its teeth, connected with various minor details. A glance at the Cape jerboa is sufficient to remind us of the kangaroo, to which animal it exhibits a marked analogy in many particulars, and especially in the form of the posterior extremities, and the hoof-like nails, with which the toes are protected. The Cape jerboa may be thus described :In size, it is equal to a common hare; the fur is soft, of a brownish yellow or dark fawn above, passing into white on the under surface; the tail is tipped with black. The teeth consist of two incisors above and below, and four molars on each side. The head is large, the ears long, the eyes full and dark; the fore limbs are exceedingly small, and terminated by five toes or fingers, each furnished with a long, curved, and pointed nail. The hind quarters are developed and muscular, the posterior limbs being large and strong; on each foot there are four toes, protected, as we have observed, by strong hoof-like nails. Burchell observes, that the fore-claws of this animal seem better adapted for holding its food than for scratching up its burrows, while the strength of the hind limbs (which are ten inches long, while the fore are little more than two,) together with their powerful nails render them fitter instruments than the former for excavating the earth, and this is said to be their use; though, as he observes, "such an application of the hind legs is a singular anomaly, and not easily to be explained, without having had a more favourable opportunity of watching their mode of life." For ourselves, we are very doubtful on this point; the true jerboa does not use its hind legs for such a purpose, nor the viscacha of the pampas of South America. Connected with the creature's leaping mode of progression, we imagine their service is es

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pecially needed in ascending the steep sides of the mountains, where it delights to dwell, and where it digs its subterraneous abode.

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That they assist, however, in throwing out the loosened earth may well be believed, and for such an operation they could not be better constructed. On his second visit to Asbestos Mountain, Burchell says, many burrows of the spring haas (leaping hare) attracted our notice. These animals, making their holes in soft sandy ground, were said to derive great assistance from their hinder feet, in throwing out the sand, which they loosen with their fore-paws; and which, as the nails of these paws have so little appearance of being worn, may perhaps be the only reason why they have been supposed to dig only with their hinder feet; a supposition contrary to my own opinion." The idea, however, is truly this; that the animal digs the soft sand with its fore-paws, and throws or spurts it backwards with its hind feet, as we have seen done by the rabbit.

The leaping hare, (or spring haas of the colonists,) is nocturnal in its habits. During the day it lives in its deep burrow, secure from the attacks of the sanguinary prowlers which infest the precincts of its retreat. All night it comes forth to feed; night, indeed, is the season of its active existence, and hence, abundant as it is, it is seldom seen, though the ravages which it makes in the neighbouring fields of grain betray its existence, and prompt the peasants to its destruction. Where the leaping hares are numerous, in the proximity of cultivated corn lands, their depredations (like those of hares in our own country) are productive of serious injury; they devour the corn both green and ripe. On the dawn of the morning they break up their revels, leap away to their rock-girt places of refuge, and wait in undisturbed repose till evening again shall summon them to their feast.

In the elevated situations where the leaping hare chiefly takes up its abode, it must often experience a considerable degree of cold, and that for several months in succession; it is not, however, ascertained whether it hybernates in winter, nor whether, like the hamster, (cricetus,) of northern Europe, it hoards up a magazine of provision.

This interesting animal inhabits the sides of the rocky mountains of the greater part of southern Africa. One species only is known; we are not aware of its having ever been brought alive to England, nor indeed are specimens of it common in

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THE PRISON VAN.

I STOPPED one afternoon outside a policeoffice of our metropolis, to observe those who were about to enter the prison van. The first was a young lad, apparently sixteen years of age, who showed the utmost unconcern, and, laughing, uttered an oath as he received some beer, handed to him by one of his associates in crime, a lad of his own age. Here was a sad instance of juvenile depravity. O that youth would more cautiously attend to the advice of Solomon," My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Let the young readers of the Weekly Visitor be warned from this circumstance, and let them remember that they are not too young to be led into sin by the snares of wicked companions. The second was a young man, decently dressed, who, in a fit of passion, caused by intemperance, had so cruelly used a fellow-apprentice, for some slight provocation, as to endanger his life. His eyes were red and swollen, and his hand greatly trembled as he stepped into the van. A neatly dressed young female was in the crowd, who appeared in as much grief as the criminal, who was her brother. I learnt that this young man's sentence would be transportation for life, and that he might consider himself leniently dealt with if he escaped the extreme punishment of the law. This, thought I, is an instance far more deplorable than the former. Young men, exposed to the tempt ations of intemperance, beware! do not be led away by any idea that ardent spirits can strengthen or invigorate you: on the contrary, they only excite to weaken; they create passion, and may lead you into the same awful circumstances as this young

man.

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The next was a middle-aged female, who had lived in respectability as housekeeper to an old gentleman for many years. had been tempted to commit some petty act of theft; this was at length succeeded by a robbery of the old gentleman's property to a great amount, in which she was the principal. Her abettors escaped, and she is now on her way to banishment for life, in an unknown and foreign country, as a felon.

The other was a dirty-looking man; his hoary hairs bespoke his advanced age, while his hardened brow told a tale, sad but too true, that he was also far advanced in crime. I learnt that he was in the constant habit of seducing children from the streets, and sending them out to commit robbery where and whenever they could.

Surely, thought I, as I turned away in horror from scenes like these, it is bad enough to see a young offender; but what can we say for the hoary-headed man, who ought to have learnt wisdom from his own and others' experience? What can we say for him who, instead of devoting his years to the good and the advantage of the young, employs them to corrupt, contaminate, and ruin youth?

Let, then, the readers of the Weekly Visitor, while such affecting scenes as these are held up to their view, endeavour more and more to seek the aids of Divine grace, to avoid the paths of sin and folly, and to employ the talents they possess for the glory of God, and the good of mankind; that at last they may be able to render a good account of their stewardship. P. H.

NATIONAL PARTIALITIES.

THE editor of the "Chinese Repository," published at Canton, observes:

All those who are familiarly acquainted with the people of China, Great Britain, and the United States of America, may frequently have observed in each a strong inclination to extol themselves. The foreign resident here sees this disposition exhibited by the Chinese in no dubious manner, and on numerous occasions. This feeling is cherished by parents and teachers, and by them it is communicated to the rising generation. The stranger, who visits England, and becomes familiar with the people of that country, will observe wherever he goes, more or less of the same disposition; and if he cross the Atlantic, he will there also find it producing the same effects as in England and China. We will not undertake to say in which of the three nations this partiality exists in the greatest degree: it will suffice for our present purpose to notice its existence, and point out some of its bad effects. In order to bring the subject the more distinctly to view, we will cite the opinions of a few, who may serve as the representatives of many.

each of the nations named above, and in We will give the opinions of one from their own words: commencing with the

CHINESE.

"I felicitate myself that I was born in China, and constantly think how very different it would be with me, if I had been born beyond the seas, in some remote part of the earth, where the people, far removed from the converting

maxims of the ancient kings, and ignorant of the domestic relations, are clothed with the leaves of plants, eat wood, dwell in the wilderness, and live in the holes of the earth though born in this world, in such a condition, I should not have been different from the beasts of the field. But now, happily, I have been born in the middle kingdom: I have a house to live in; have food and drink, and elegant furniture; have clothing and caps, and infinite blessings. Truly, the highest felicity is mine."-Teen Kesheih.

ENGLAND.

"No cloud in summer was ever more

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fully surcharged with electricity than England is with moral energy, which needs but a conductor to issue out in any given direction. England has become the capital of a new moral world: the eminence on which intellectual light strikes before it visits the nations; the fountain-head of the rivers that are going forth to water the earth: and it is at her option to have well-wishers in every country. * The power and the resources of Britain, pent up at home, will spread themselves as wide as the winds and waves can carry them, and will cause the branches of English population and literature to spread over every soil. Every country will be prepared for the reception of English as the standard of literature, and the medium by which it may be transmitted or promoted, when they feel the superiority of the English brought home to them in all the productions of life, and in the value which their industry confers upon every species of manufacture; but, above all, England has shot ahead of all other nations, and is more rapidly carried along by the current of events, and the influence of the times, and has anticipated those changes and meliorations, of which other nations begin to feel the necessity; and those improvements in which they all acknowledge her to be their precursor and model: this priority of progress, and the belonging, as it were, to a more advanced age, will contribute to the eagerness with with all nations will be brought to the study of English, as the key to modern discoveries, and the storehouse of those truths which are to be beneficial to mankind."-James Douglas.

AMERICA.

"And now, let us indulge an honest exultation in the conviction of the be

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nefit, which the example of our country has produced, and is likely to produce, on human freedom and human happiness. And let us endeavour to comprehend, in all its magnitude, and to feel in all its importance, the part assigned to us in the great drama of human affairs. We are placed at the head of the systems of representative and popular governments. If, in our case, the system ultimately fail, popular governments must be pronounced impossible. No combination of circumstances more favourable to the experiment can ever be expected to occur. The last hopes of mankind, therefore, rest with us; and if it should be proclaimed, that our example had become an knell of popular liberty would be sounded argument against the experiment, the then, cultivate a true spirit of union and throughout the earth. **** Let us, harmony. In pursuing the great objects, which our condition points out to us, let us act under a settled conviction, and an habitual feeling, that these twenty-four states are one country. Let our concepties. Let us extend our ideas over the tions be enlarged to the circle of our duwhole of the vast field in which we are called to act. Let our object be our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country.""-Daniel Webster.

Who is there that does not know that all

the nations of the earth are of one blood, and the workmanship of one hand? In the best sense of the word, therefore, they are "brethren." What then ought to be their feelings, and their conduct towards one another? For the Chinese, and others like them, there may be some shadow of excuse for treating others as barbarians, free them from guilt in this case;) yet who (though in fact there is nothing that can will undertake to justify those who know and are bound by the rule of the New Testament, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?"

BOTANY.-No. XX. MALVACEÆ.

denomination, taken from the malva sylTHIS family, though bearing a humble vestris, or common mallow, embraces a magnificent and an extensive array of plants and shrubs.

In our own country we have four or five species of the malva or mallow, of which the most remarkable is the musk

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mallow (malva moschata) denoted by its large red flowers and musky scent. On the sea-shores, the sea-tree mallow, (lavatera arborea) is sometimes met with; which is, in general appearance, so handsome, that it occasionally finds a place in our gardens. A frequent ornament in salt marshes, is the marsh mallow, (althea officinalis,) known by its straight tomentous or downy stems, and its large red flowers.

| in discriminating the different genera. The internal structure of the seed is very curious; for the leafy portions are folded and doubled together in a most complicated manner.

Under this genus, (althæa,) is now ranged the hollyhock, seen almost in every garden. It has been so long in a state of cultivation with us, that its native country is at present unknown. Should any one of the examples just glanced at be within reach, or the hibiscus rosa simensis, that splendid inmate in some flowery enclosures, the inspection of a blossom, compared with the following outline, will be sufficient to impress upon the minds of the attentive a general notion of incidents which constitute a plant or tree a member of this order. The calyx is usually accompanied by additional leaves, which are sometimes very numerous, and serve to distinguish one genus from another. There is nothing remarkable in the form of the petals; but the curious manner in which they are folded up, while budding, will not fail to engage the attention, after it has been pointed out. The petals appear, in this state, as if any one had taken hold of the bud, and given it a twist with the thumb and finger. The manner in which the parts of a flower are applied to each other previous to expansion is called their æstivation, which, in the instance before us, is said to be spiral. The stamens are united into a tube, enclosing the pistil, and are seen running side by side, in a spiral direction, like the strands or threads in a rope. In fact, these form so obvious a character, as at once to strike the eye of the inquirer. Anthers, in most instances, have two cells, and open by two chinks, but, in the malvaceous family, they have only one cell, and open by a single transverse chink. The last essential is not so conspicuous as the rest, but a magnifier, and a little patience, will make the matter clear and intelligible. The seeds or seed-vessels, as they in all instances ought to be called, are ranged about a centre, like spokes in a wheel, which is easily seen by looking at the holly or the mallow, after the blossom has fallen off. The number and nature of these seed-vessels (carpella) assist us

If an artist was required to fold two thin sheets of paper, cut in a way to resemble a fire-screen, so that they could be stowed in a case a little bigger than a walnut, he would find the operation more embarrassing than a Chinese puzzle; not for want of room, but for want of knowing how to double the paper, so that no room might be wasted. But such an operation is performed in every seed belonging to this family. At first the seed is filled with nutritive matter, (albumen) and these leafy portions (cotyledons) very small; but as the albumen is absorbed, the cotyledons expand, and all the twistings and turnings which perplex the examiner, are only efforts which are made to adapt themselves to the case that contains them.

In reference to utility, we may mention, that several species of hibiscus furnish materials for cordage, in their tough fibrous bark, which the writer often saw applied to that purpose in the islands of the South Seas. But to show, by one instance, that this order has a claim upon us for its usefulness, we need only say, that the gossypium indicum, whose seeds are wrapped in that snowy tomentum, or down, which yields the material spun into cotton, is a member of this family.

EXTRACT FROM JOHN FOX ON

PRINTING.

ALMIGHTY God, in his merciful providence, seeing both what lacked in the church, and how also to remedy the same, for the advancement of his glory, gave the understanding of this excellent art or science of printing, whereby three singular advantages at one time came into the world: first, the price of all books is diminished; secondly, the speedy help of reading more furthered; and, thirdly, the number of all good authors enlarged.

OLD HUMPHREY ON USING AND NOT

ABUSING THE THINGS OF THE WORLD.

IT sometimes happens that, in reading the word of God, Old Humphrey meets with a text that seems exactly to suit the case of some neighbour or friend. It

reproves an error, or consoles an affliction, that wanted just such correction or consolation; and then Old Humphrey is quick to apply it. If the text be a rebuke, he takes it up, and applies it to others. If it be a cordial, he pours it out with a willing hand and heart. This is an occurrence that not unfrequently takes place.

It happens, too, at times, and, perhaps, as often as the other case, that Old Humphrey meets with a text that seems written on purpose for himself. It comes like a sharp arrow, aimed at one of his own faults, or, like the voice of a faithful friend and counsellor, to direct him in a season of difficulty. I have just been reading a chapter in Corinthians, wherein are the words, "And they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away." Now, who is he that uses the things of this world without abusing them? Whoever he may be, I feel at this moment that he is not Old Humphrey. The words, therefore, come home to me; and, as it is possible they may come home to you likewise, let us give them a little consideration.

We need not trouble our heads about the unlawful things of the world, because we are not permitted to use them at all without disobedience and sin. When we meddle with them it is all abuse, when we touch them it is all defilement. The lawful things of the world are those which we will consider.

We may venture to lay it down as a rule, that when our earthly desires darken our heavenly hopes; whenever the love of any created thing lessens our love to God and his Son Jesus Christ, that we are not merely using, but that we are also abusing the things of the world. And now, then, to this standard let us bring ourselves.

Dear as our relations and friends may be, they are too dear when they draw our hearts from God. How is it with you? do you use these good things without abusing them? Is there no wife, no husband, no child, no friend, that has an undue portion of your affection? Are none of these idols that interfere with the supreme, unmingled devotion of your hearts to the King of kings and Lord of lords? This is a home question; but it shall be put as plainly to Old Humphrey as to yourselves.

How is it with you, as to your worldly possessions? Can you commit yourselves and all belonging to you, without anxiety,

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to Him whose are "the silver and the gold, and the cattle on a thousand hills?" or are you labouring unduly to add shilling to shilling, pound to pound; field to field, and house to house? Does the love of money, and what money will obtain, never enter into your heart, and render you, for a season, more desirous to get the gold that perishes here, than the treasure that will endure for ever?

Are you quite sure that you are using what you possess of this world's wealth, and not abusing it? This question ought to be answered honestly and faithfully, not only by you, but by Old Humphrey.

To what use are you putting your health and strength, your reputation and influence in the world? for these ought not to be abused. Are you employing them for mean and selfish ends, or devoting them to high and holy objects? The fashion of this world passeth away, and you are passing away, too, and should, therefore, while you possess them, promote the glory to God in the highest, and goodwill among mankind. Is this, then, the case? I ask you, and I also ask Old Humphrey.

It is a much easier thing to ask such questions, than to reply to them; and yet the reply is as necessary as the question. The sun, the moon, and the stars, that so gloriously adorn the heavens; the mountains and valleys, the fields and the foliage, the fruits and flowers, that beautify the earth, are grateful to look upon, and the Father of mercies has given us intellect to enjoy them, but are we using or abusing this intellect? Do we regard these created things as the express workmanship of God, and seek, through a knowledge of them, to glorify him more, whose goodness and whose mercy endureth for ever? or do we merely regard them as beautiful objects of the creation, calculated to afford us pleasure? What is your reply, and what is the reply of Old Humphrey ?

How are we using our time? Not our years, our months, our weeks, and our days only, but our hours, our minutes, and our moments; for moments are more precious than diamonds. How are we using our time? What is called a long life soon runs away; and a short one is short indeed. You may not have so many grey hairs on your head as Old Humphrey, but your lives are uncertain like his. However profitably we may appear to be using our time, we are abusing it, and spending it unprofitably, if therein

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