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Verses on the New Year.

37

digestive powers to manage. This shews the necessity of eating gently :-parents should look to this in children, and see that they do not eat in a hurry, and so swallow their food whole, but that they chew it well, and do not stuff their mouths full, which is both an ugly, and an unwholesome habit. The following account, taken from the Liverpool Advertiser; shews the necessity of attending to these things, and teaches us too that there is danger, whilst we are eating, in any thing that may hinder the free action. of those parts which Providence has so wisely contrived for our use.

"On Saturday, as Thomas Blevin was at his dinner, some persons were sitting in the room, and engaging in discourse which produced loud laughter, in which Blevin heartily joined, whilst in the act of eating; he arose suddenly from the table, and attempted to put his fingers down his throat. He made his comrades understand what was the matter, and one of them tried to relieve him with a wire, but did not succeed. The poor man presently died. On opening the throat, a piece of beef, of half an ounce weight, was found in the trachea.

VERSES ON THE NEW YEAR

1.

Eighteen hundred twenty-four

Is now for ever past,

Eighteen hundred twenty-five

Will fly away as fast.

II.

But whether Life's uncertain scene
Shall hold an equal pace;

Or whether Death shall come between

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Though dazzling splendour, pomp, and show,
My fortune has deny'd;

Yet (more than grandeur can bestow)
Content has well supply'd.

V.

I envy no one's birth or fame,

Their titles, train, or dress;

Nor has my pride e'er stretch'd its aim
Beyond what I possess.

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It has been found that there is more rain at the sea coast than in the inland country; and more on mountains than on plains. The mists and vapours which rise from the sea fill the air with moisture; and there would be, on that account, a still greater proportion of rain near the sea, if there were not more currents of air to disperse them.

The height of land has a greater effect on the quantity of rain than its vicinity to the sea, though we do not here pretend to assign the cause of this: opinions differ. There is more than twice as much rain at Keswick and Kendal, which are in the neighbourhood of mountains, than at places in the level interior country.

The following observations have been made with respect to the climate of England. The fall of rain is least in spring, and greatest in autumn; and less in the six winter than in the summer months. The winds which prevail most are the south-west and north-east. The least frequent are the east and west. The south and north winds are the driest, and the south-west and west winds, which pass over the Atlantic Ocean, are the most wet.

November 8.

N. C. T.

CHIMNEY SWEEPERS.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

SIR,

You have often given us a word in favour of the poor chimney-sweepers, a set of people for whom I have always felt the greatest compassion. I sincerely hope that the society established for the consideration of their cases will be the means of lessening the miseries belonging to the condition of these poor creatures, and of contriving something effectual for their relief. Indeed, I believe the society has already done a great deal, and is in a way of doing more. My complaint at present is, Sir, against an evil which you have already mentioned, but which I see exists to a great degree, and which, though it may appear trifling, compared with some others, is still a cause of great wretchedness to the poor sweeping boys, and therefore you will perhaps not object to mentioning it again, as you may thus be the means of checking the practice-mean the very early hours at which the poor boys are made to get up to their miserable work. The Act of Parliament requires that they should not begin before seven o'clock in the winter; but, notwithstanding this, if a servant makes an appointment for them to come, they will often be at the door at six, five, or even four o'clock. Now, what I think ought positively to be required is, that if a servant will order them out at such early and unlawful hours, that servant ought at least to take care to be up to let them in. But very often the poor sweepers are standing shivering at the door in the cold and in the rain, or snow, for hours. The door-bell rings into the lowest part of the house, and the maid perhaps sleeps in the highest, so that the poor sweep rings in vain; and he calls in vain, too, at the front of the house, to the servant who is sleeping soundly at the back part. X.

On Lighting a Fire.

ON LIGHTING A FIRE.

To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor.

SIR,

41

As the cold weather is come, perhaps you will give your readers another hint on the art of lighting a fire. What you gave us in your third volume, p. 65, was of great use in my family, but as it seems by this time to have gone a little out of our minds, perhaps a word more may be of use. The hint, however, which I think of the most importance to be repeated is, that a fire will never light well unless there be a good current of air through it. I do not want to recommend a scanty supply of coals over the wood, but I would particularly wish to check a practice which is very common-I mean that of throwing a quantity of small dust of coal over the rest, and thus choking up all the little vents and passages which the air and the flame were to pass through. To shew the necessity of air, you may observe that even a piece of paper put flat-ways across a grate, will so stop the stream of air as often to prevent the fire from lighting. The way is to put the wood, with something under it to light it, and then, over the wood, to put a good supply of small pieces of coal, so as to supply plenty of ends and corners for the flame to catch, and then no dust at all, nor any large pieces of coal till the fire is well lighted. I take this opportunity of saying, Sir, that wood and coal together make the most extravagant of all fires. I last year supplied myself with a quantity of wood, and I put it into the fire with the coals, but the wood made the coals burn faster, and my coal bill was more than it had ever been before. I acknowledge, however, that it makes the best of all fires for those who can afford it, but it must not be called a cheap plan.

I am, Sir,

Yours, &c.

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