CHAPTER V. DESCRIPTIVE PIECES. SECTION I. The Seafons AMONG the great bleffings and wonders of the 孩 creation, may be claffed the regularities of times and feasons. Immediately after the flood, the facred promife was made to man, that feed-time and harveft, cold and heat, fummer and winter, day and night, fhould continue to the very end of all things. Accordingly, in obedience to that promife, the rotation is conftantly prefenting us with fome ufeful and agreeable alteration; and all the pleafing novelty of life arifes from thefe natural changes: nor are we lefs indebted to them for many of its folid comforts. It has been frequently the task of the moralift and poet, to mark in polifhed periods, the particular charms and conveniences of every change; and, indeed, fuch difcriminate obfervations upon natural variety, cannot be undelightful; fince the bleffing, which every We glow as we month brings along with it, is a fresh inftance of the wisdom and bounty of that Providence, which regulates the glories of the year.. contemplate; we feel a propenfity to adore, whilft we enjoy. In the time of feed-fowing, it is the feafon of confidence the grain which the husbandman trufts to the bofom of the earth fhall, haply, yield its feven-fold rewards. Spring prefents us with a fcene of lively expectation. That which was before fown begins now to discover figns of fuccefsful vegetation. The labourer obferves the change, and anticipates the harveft; he watches the progrefs of nature, and fmiles at her influence; while the man of contemplation walks forth with the evening, amidst the fragrance of flowers, and promifes of plenty; nor returns to his cottage till darkness clofes the fcene upon his eye. Then cometh the harvest, when the large with is fatisfied, and the granaries of nature are loaded with the means of life, even to a luxury of abundance. The powers of language are unequal to the defcription of this happy season. It is the carnival of nature: fun and fhade, coolnefs and quietude, cheerfulness and melody, love and gratitude, unite to render every fcene of fummer delightful. The divifion of light and darkness is one of the kindeft efforts of Omnipotent Wisdom. Day and night yield us contrary bleffings; and, at the fame time, affift cach other, by giving fresh luftre to the delights of both. Amidst the glare of day, and bustle of life, how could we fleep? Amidft the gloom of darknefs, how could we labour? How wife, how benignant, then, is the proper divifion! The hours of light are adapted to acti vity; and those of darkness, to reft. Ere the day is paffed, exercife and nature prepare us for the pillow; and by the time that the morning returns, we are again able to meet it with a fmile. Thus, every feafon has a charm peculiar to itfelf; and every moment affords fome interefting innovation. MELMOTH. SECTION II. The Cataract of Niagara, in Canada, North America. THIS amazing fall of water is made by the River St. Lawrence, in its paffage from lake Erie into the lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence is one of the largest rivers in the world; and yet the whole of its waters are here poured down, by a fall of a hundred and fifty feet perpendicular. It is not easy to bring the imaginations to correspond to the greatnefs of the fcene. A river extremely deep and rapid, and that ferves to drain the waters of almost all North America into the Atlantic Ocean, is here poured precipitately down a ledge of rocks, that rifes, like a wall, across the whole bed of its stream. The river, a little above, is near three quarters of a mile broad; and the rocks, where it grows narrower, are four hundred yards over, Their direction is not ftraight acrofs, but hollowing inwards like a horfe-fhoe: fo that the cataract, which bends to the fhape of the obstacle, rounding inwards, pre fents ture. a kind of theatre the most tremendous in na Juft in the middle of this circular wall of waters, a little ifland, that has braved the fury of the current, presents one of its points, and divides the ftream at top into two parts; but they unite again long before they reach the bottom. The noife of the fall is heard at the diftance of feveral leagues; and the fury of the waters, at the termination of their fall, is inconceivable. The dafhing produces a mift that rifes to the very clouds; and which forms a moft beautiful rainbow, when the fun fhines. It will readily be fupposed, that such a cataract entirely deftroys the navigation of the stream; and yet fome Indian canoes, as it is faid, have ventured down it with fafety GOLDSMITH. SECTION III. The Grotto of Antiparos. Of all the fubterraneous caverns now known, the grotto of Antiparos is the most remarkable, as well for its extent, as for the beauty of its sparry incruftations. This celebrated cavern was first explored by one Magni, an Italian traveller, about à hundred years ago, at Antiparos, an inconfiderable island of the Archipelago. "Having been informed," fays he, " by the natives of Paros, that in the little island of Antiparos, which lies about two miles from the former, of a gigantic ftatue, that was to be seen at the mouth of a cavern in that place, it was refolved that we (the French Conful and himself) should pay it a vifit. In pursuance of this refolution, after we had landed on the island, and walked about four miles through the midst of beautiful plains, and floping woodlands, we at length came to a little hill, on the fide of which yawned a most horrid cavern, that with its gloom at first struck us with terror, and almoft repreffed curiofity Recovering the firft furprife, however, we entered boldly; and had not proceeded above twenty paces, when the fuppofed ftatue of the giant presented itself to our view. We quickly perceiv ed, that what the ignorant natives had been terrified at as a giant, was nothing more than a sparry concretion, formed by the water dropping from the roof of the cave, and by degrees hardening into a figure, which their fears had formed into a monster. Incited by this extraordinary appearance, we were induced to proceed ftill further, in queft of new adventures in this fubterranean abode. As we proceeded, new wonders offered themfelves; the fpars, formed into trees and fhrubs, prefented a kind of petrified grove; fome white, fome green; and all receding in due perspective. They struck us with the more amazement, as we knew them to be mere productions of Nature, who, hitherto in folitude, had, in her playful moments, dreffed the fcene, as if for her own amusement.' "We had as yet feen but a few of the wonders of the place; and we were introduced only into the portico of this amazing temple. In one corner of this half illuminated recefs, there appeared an opening of about three feet wide, which feemed to lead to a place totally dark, and which one of the natives affured us contained nothing more than a refervoir of water. Upon this information, we made an experiment, by throwing down fome ftones, which rumbling along the fides of the defcent for fome time, the found feemed at last quafhed in a bed of In order, however, to be more certain, we fent in a Levantine mariner, who, by the promife" of a good reward, with a flambeau in his hand, ventured into this narrow aperture. After continuing within it for about a quarter of an hour, he returned, bearing in his hand, fome beautiful pieces of white fpar, which art could neither imitate nor equal. Upon being informed by him that the place was full of thefe beautiful incruftations, I ven water. |