instrument is, to determine exact time; | it, and was rewarded for his labours by another is, to determine the right ascen ம் sion of all the heavenly bodies, which, together with their declinations found by the mural circles, fixes their relative situations, (a corresponding problem to that in geography, the determination of the latitude and longitude of places,) and celestial maps can be constructed from the results. The last instrument of great importance we shall notice, is the zenith micrometer epresented below. It was erected in July, 1833; it is twenty-five feet long, and was designed to measure with extreme accuracy the zenith distance of the star y Draconis, with a view to determine | the amount (if any) of its annual parallax, and hence its distance from the earth; this, however, appears to be altogether inappreciable; consequently, any thing like the correct distance of the fixed stars is likely still to remain unknown. The question of parallax has long been a subject of great interest amongst astronomers; Dr. Bradley devoted much time to discovering, in his researches, the aberration of the fixed stars, and the nutation of the earth's axis; two of the most splendid scientific discoveries of the last century. We have now brought the account of our great national Observatory to a close; hoping that our humble efforts may have done something more than merely beguile the time of our readers. Ours is, as far as we are aware, the first attempt at making public any thing like a connected account of this establishment, and much of the information we have been able to communicate has never before met the public eye. In a country like ours, the commercial relations of which are so extensive, and whose ships, conveying the lives and property of our countrymen to distant climes, across the pathless waters, to the researches are daily trusting for safety and guidance of the astronomer, the maintenance of such an establishment is of the highest importance. Also, by the same researches new light and information continually break upon us, bringing us to a nearer acquaintance with the vastness of the power and wisdom displayed in the creation and government of the mighty universe; leading us in humility to adore and praise that Almighty Being, who upholdeth all things by the word of his power. "Here truth sublime, and sacred science charm, Eyes that explore creation's wondrous laws, -S. SCRIPTURE EXPLANATIONS.-No. XXII. "But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in a honey-comb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened."1 Sam. xiv. 27. THIS is a simple account of the efficacy of honey, when the stomach is worn out by fasting and toil: it is incidentally introduced without any attempt to surprise us, in showing by what slight causes great results are sometimes produced. We have often reflected upon the fact mentioned in the text, and were not a little delighted, while looking over the recipes for various culinary preparations in a Latin work, De Re Culinaria, which some ascribe to Apicius Cœlius, who lived in the reign of Augustus and Tiberius, to find that honey was the chief ingredient in a confection to stay the stomach, and prolong the bodily strength during periods of necessary abstinence. is recommended in that recipe, that pepper be pounded in a mortar with honey, and It Of the expansion of the silk-worm, an interesting account is given by Malpighi. "At length," he says, "within four days, the heart of the silk-worm continues moving slowly, and the body growing bigger, having thrown off the outward skin like a slough, the pupa appears a new creature. The throwing off the old, and assuming the new form, is completed in the space of one minute and ten seconds; and it is thus done, as I chanced to see it. The motion of the heart is very quick at first, and the whole frame of the body appears convulsed; so that the several circular folds of the seg the foam be removed, from time to time, during that process. The addition of a little wine is also suggested, to correct the alterative effects it may have upon the system. This preparation is entitled Conditum Melizomum, and by the latter term, simply intimates, that it is a seasoning made with honey. A story is told of Democritus, says Athenæus, that, growing weary of old age, he determined to withdraw himself from this life, by abstaining from his daily food. It happened, however, that the Thesmophoria, a public festival, was about to be celebrated the females of his household, therefore, besought him to drop the inten-ments emerge, and by the transverse contion of dying till after the anniversary, that they might not be prevented from keeping the feast. The philosopher yielded to their entreaties, and ordered a pot of honey to be set near him, by the simple use of which, he is said to have prolonged his existence a sufficient number of days to let his domestics enjoy the customary solemnities of the festival, without any interference from the required rites of mourning for the dead. Democritus, it is said, was always fond of honey, and when asked how a man might enjoy good health, he replied, If he moistens the inside with honey, and the outside with olive oil. The diet of the Pythagoreans was bread with honey, as Aristoxenus tells us, who adds, that those who use them, surpass others in living exempt from disease. And Lycus says, that the inhabit-out, the antennæ are separated from the ants of Corsica formerly attained to a great age, through the constant employment of honey. All substances containing saccharine matter, or sugar, are highly nutritious and of easy assimilation. When the writer was staying at Oahu, one of the Sandwich Islands, the fresh juice of the sugar-cane was recommended as an excellent resort to stay and soothe the stomach, when the tone was reduced by long fasting; and its good effects were more than once experienced. INSECTS.-No. XXXIII. Ir seems from Reaumur's description, that the wings of some flies, instead of the straight, transverse folds of others, have angular, or zigzag folds, which equally shorten the wing. Others have wings without any nervures, except the marginal. It is, probably, that these are more simply folded, so as to render their expansion more easy; but, even in these wings, there are often trachea, which appear as spurious nervures, and help to effect the purpose we are considering. traction of the sides, the external skin is separated from the inner; hence, upon making an effort, and thrusting the body, which now appears particularly thick towards the head, the skin is driven backward and downward, and the portions of the windpipe being separated from their external proper orifices, are thrown away with the skin, which is then cast off. By this motion, a cleft or opening is made in the back near the head, and through the aperture the body makes its way, the skin being by degrees drawn back towards the tail. This process is greatly assisted by a yellow kind of ichor, which exudes from the cavities of the skull, and the pupa appears then free and disengaged. "While the insect is making its passage body of the pupa, and are torn, as it were, out of two cavities of the skull; and their length, as they become unfolded, occupies the same place which the two muscles of the mandibles formerly occupied. The wings, also, and the legs, appear to be circumscribed in their limits; the wings being drawn from their situation near the fore-legs, and the legs from the lateral parts of the back. But as these unfolded parts are yet mucous, they easily stick to each other, and, insensibly growing dry, they become so closely united, that the pupa appears like one entire garment. Now, as these parts are peculiar to the moths, and are destined for their use, the nature of the moths seems to be, to emerge sooner from the state of the caterpillar than is complanted in it; for, evidently, in the silkmonly believed, and also to be earlier imworm, the beginnings of the wings may be seen under the second and third rings of the body, before the texture of the web. The skull; and the web being finished, they antennæ are likewise delineated on the have their own termination; nor will it be improper to suppose, that the new kind of life in the pupa, is only a mask or veil of the moth, which is already perfect within, the intent of which is, that it should not be struck or destroyed by external injuries, but might grow strong and ripen." There is now produced a violent agitation in the fluids of the little creature, so that they are driven from the internal vessels through the tubes in the wings, which are likewise supplied with air from the windpipe. The insect, besides, labours violently with its legs; and, all these motions concurring with the growth of the wings, the tender skin which covers it gives way, by bursting in four distinct and regular pieces. As the legs become disengaged, they greatly assist in freeing the body and other parts that are yet bound up; at the same time, the skin on the back flies open, and uncovers the wings and shoulders. After this, the insect remains for some time in a state of rest, with its wings drooping down like wet paper, and its legs fixed in the skin which it has just cast off, together with the lining of the windpipe and breathing spiracles. This enables the insect to take more air into its body, and thereby renders it the better able to fly, and perform the other functions dependent on a good supply of air. In consequence of this, the wings expand so rapidly, that it is by no means easy to trace their unfolding; for, in the space of a few minutes, they increase in dimensions about four-fold. Their spots and colours at the same time, previously so small as to be scarcely discernible, become proportionately extended; so that, what appeared but a few minutes before as a number of confused and indistinct points, acquires many varied beauties of colour and form. From the sudden extension of the wings, their soft, wrinkled appearance is, in less than half an hour, no longer visible, and the insect becomes fitted for flight. The operation of expanding their wings, in by far the greater number of instances, takes place gradually; and according to their size, is ended in five, ten, or fifteen minutes; in some butterflies, it occupies half an hour, in some even an hour. A few species require several hours, or even a day, for this operation; and, from the distance to which they creep before it has taken place, a considerable degree of motion seems requisite for causing the necessary impulse of the expanding fluids. In a few genera, this process is so rapid and instantaneous, that the wings are scarcely disengaged from the wing-cases, before they are fully expanded and fit for flying. These genera quit the pupa at the surface of the water; from which, after resting upon it for a few moments, they take flight; but this would evidently be impracticable, and death would result, were not the general | rule in their case departed from. Some species of the ephemera are distinguished by another peculiarity, unparalleled, as far as is known, in the rest of the insect world. After being released from the puparium, and making use of their expanded wings for flight, often to a considerable distance, they have yet to undergo another change. They fix themselves by their claws, in a vertical position, on some object, and withdraw every part of the body, even the legs and wings, from a thin pellicle, which has inclosed them, as a glove does the fingers. It is easy to conceive how the body, and even legs, can be withdrawn from their cases; but it is not so easy to imagine how the wings, which seem as thin, as much expanded, and as rigid as those of a fly, can admit of having any sheath stripped from them; much less how they can be withdrawn, as they are, through a small opening at the base of the sheath. The fact seems to be, that though the outer covering is rigid, the wing inclosed in it, notwithstanding it is sometimes more than twenty-four hours before the change ensues, is kept moist and pliable. In proportion, therefore, as the insect disengages itself from the anterior part of the skin, the interior or real wings become contracted, by a number of plaits, into a form nearly cylindrical, which readily admits of their being pulled through the opening lately mentioned; and as soon as the insect is released from its envelope, the plaits unfold, and the wing returns to its former shape and dimensions. The body of newly-disclosed insects commonly appears, at first, of its full size; but the aphis-eating flies, and some others, in about a quarter of an hour after leaving the pupa, become at least twice as large as they were at their first appearance. This apparent sudden growth, Reaumur found to depend on the expansion of the previously compressed segments of the animal, by means of the included air. a number of men beneath the canga, (an instrument of torture,) said, "Where have they seized on so many thieves at a time?" It was answered, that they were not thieves, but christians, whose religion the king had forbidden under pain of death. "How," replied he, " condemned for being christians! Can their religion be any crime against the government? Do they not pay taxes as well as others? Do they not assist at the public works? Do they not bear arms? Do they not go to battle? Do they not follow our standard from north to south? What more can be required of them? Why should we concern ourselves about their religion, provided they prove good and faithful subjects? It is we, the disciples of Phat and Confucius, and especially we mandarins, who know no other law than our own wills, nor rule of life but our own concupiscence, that seize, without scruple, the gardens and fields of the poor; that violate, without shame, the wives of others, and carry off their daughters by force; whereas the christians confine themselves to one wife, without daring to approach the wives or daughters of others. In a word, they are an upright and simple people, who do no injury to any one. "When I was very young," continued he, "there was a libertine with whom I was acquainted, who became a notorious thief. His family left no means untried to reclaim him from his wicked course of life. He had often been severely whipped, imprisoned, and even threatened with death by the heads of the village, but to no purpose, for nothing could intimidate him. At length, after an absence of many years, I met him by accident, and was astonished beyond measure at the alteration I perceived in him, being now neither a libertine, a gambler, nor a thief. I asked him the reason of so surprising a change. To which he replied, that he had married a christian woman, who by her exhortations and example, had converted him to her religion; he no longer dared to persevere in his wicked course of life, because it was forbidden by that religion. Behold," added the mandarin," what the magistrates could not effect by the force of their authority, a wife has accomplished by the influence of her religion! Ought a religion, therefore, which has the power of putting a stop to such disorders; ought a religion, which can convert a thief into an honest man; ought such a religion to be proscribed or condemned? I defy," continued he, 66 yours or mine to do as much."-American Baptist Journal. THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST. THE hand of Providence has been visible in many important events, which have distinguished these latter ages; all concurring mutually to promote each other, and all seeming uniformly to tend to the same point. The revival of learning, arts, and sciences; their progress westward; their great increase among those who were able to diffuse them most widely, and to carry their influence to the most distant parts; the invention of printing; the reformation of religion in Europe; the discovery of the long-hidden continent of America; the opening of a new passage to the east; the improvement of navigation; the extension of commerce; the continual addition of new regions to the known parts of the world, and the communication rendered more safe and easy between the most remote: all these bearings and tendencies indicate a general effort, under a superior direction, towards a union and comprehension of the affairs of mankind in one great system; not a system of civil policy, not of universal temporal dominion; for no such shall ever arise: the only universal kingdom, which shall henceforth be established upon earth, is the spiritual kingdom of Christ. "To him shall be given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away; and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Dan. vii. 14.-Bishop Lowth. THE WILL OF GOD. THIS is the strongest and most binding reason that can be used to a christian mind, which hath resigned itself to be governed by that rule, to have "the will of God" for its law. Whatsoever is rerefuse. Although it cross a man's own quired of it upon that warrant, it cannot humour, or his private interest, yet if his heart be subjected to the will of God, he will not stand with him in any thing. One word from God, "I will have it so," silences all, and carries it against all opposition.-Leighton. THE above sketch will afford some idea of the form and nature of the brazen lavers made by Solomon for the gorgeous temple which he built, (see 1 Kings vii. 27-39.) They were vessels borne by four cherubim standing upon bases or pedestals, mounted on brazen wheels, and furnished with handles, by which they were drawn about the temple wherever they might be wanted. These lavers were double, that is to say, composed of a basin that received the water which fell from another square vessel above it, from which they drew water with cocks. The whole of the work was of brass; the square vessels were adorned with the heads of a lion, an ox, and a cherub. Each of these lavers contained forty baths, or nearly VOL. III. thirty-three gallons. Ten of these lavers were made by Hiram, king of Tyre, 1 Kings vii. 40. They were all alike in size and workmanship; and five were placed on the right hand, and five on the left, of the first temple, between the altar of burnt-offerings and the steps which led to the porch of the temple. The use of these lavers was to accommodate the officiating priest with a supply of water for those frequent washings and purifications enjoined upon the Jews in their typical worship; which washings were strong similitudes of that spiritual washing and purification of the heart of man, by the grace of God, through which alone he can be restored to the favour of his offended Creator, and be enabled to K |