down their sides immense quantities of soil; so that the whole tract of country situated along the northern chain of the Pyrenees is covered with earth brought down from the mountains in this manner; at other times huge fragments, frequently larger than a house, loosened from the summit by frosts, or rains, or struck down by lightning, are seen tumbling down the steep with a noise louder than thunder. Time is, therefore, only wanting to reduce every mountain to a plain. 14. The surface of the globe is thus in a state of perpetual change, and even its most solid parts are liable to decay. What an instructive lesson does this afford on the vanity of all our creature comforts, and how should it teach us to set our affections on the things which are above! "To things immortal, time can do no wrong, And that which never is to die, for ever must be young." COWLEY. 15. The consolations of the gospel never fail, the love of Christ is a well-spring that ever flows. "The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Isa. liv. 10. No. XI. VOLCANOES. ONE of the most remarkable phenomena in nature is the Volcano, or burning mountain which emits flames, ashes, stones, liquid sulphur, melted metals, and other substances, with surprising force. In Europe there are five burning mountains: Etna in Sicily, Vesuvius near Naples, Stromboli in the Islands of the Lipari, Hecla in Iceland, and Chimera in Greece. 2. They are to be found in other quarters of the globe; but are most numerous in America. Of the European Volcanoes, Etna is the most considerable; fire and smoke are continually discharged from its top; but it rages at times with peculiar violence. In 1669 an extraordinary eruption happened, of which the following account is given in the Philosophical Transactions : When 3. "It was preceded by a dark thick sky, thunder and lightning, and frequent concussions of the earth. At length a stream or river of melted metais, rendered liquid by the fierceness of the fire, boiled up, and gushed forth like water at the head of a great river. this torrent met with a bank, or any building, strong enough to resist its progress, it increased in depth till it flowed over it, forming a fiery cascade. Its breadth was about three miles, and its length seventeen. 4. In its course, this tremendous inundation overwhelmed 14 towns and villages; and destroyed the habitations of 27,000 persons. Its progress was at the rate of a furlong each day; and it continued to flow from the 11th of March to the 4th of May, during which time neither sun nor stars appeared; and the noise produced by the eruption was heard at the distance of 60 miles. 5. "After it had ceased, the melted metals cooled and became a solid mass of lava, as it is called, which completely changed the face of the country; nor could any trace of the towns above mentioned be found, except the church of one of them, which, happening to stand on a little eminence, escaped the fiery deluge.' 6. After the lapse of a century, Sir William Hamilton visited this spot, and observed that a space of country, of fourteen miles in length and six in breadth, was still destitute of any signs of vegetation. The crater, or opening at the top of the mountain, through which the stream made its way, appeared about two miles and a half in circumference. 7. In 1779 Sir William was witness to a tremendous eruption of Vesuvius, in which he informs us, a vast quantity of red hot liquid lava was emitted, which ran with violence four miles from the place where it was discharged; at the same time, a fountain of this liquid transparent fire, mixed with stones and scoriæ, began to rise, and, gradually increasing, arrived at a height not less than three times that of the mountain, forming a column of fire at least 10,000 feet in height, and two miles and a half in width, which cast a prodigious heat for a distance of at least six miles; a cloud of black smoke accompanied the lava, in which were seen strong and vivid flashes of lightning continually issuing from the fiery pillar, and returning back to it. 8. Volcanic ashes were discharged to the distance of 100 miles; and the number and size of some of the stones or fragments of rocks which were thrown up are almost incredible. The largest was in circumference no less than 108 feet, and in height 17: it was a solid rock, and thrown at least a quarter of a mile clear of the volcano. Another grand eruption occurred in Aug. 1805. 9. Near Guarimala, in South America, are two mountains ; the one called the Volcano of Fire, the other of Water; out of the first, huge pieces of rocks are frequently hurled, like bombs out of a mortar; and a person may with ease during the night, read by the light of its flames at the distance of three miles. 10. From the other mountain vast quantities of water are continually thrown up. The remains of volcanoes have been discovered in the inland parts of most countries when these mountains have ceased to burn the crater sometimes falls in and is defaced; at other times it is filled with water and forms a lake. The immense masses of lava ejected by volcanoes are many years in cooling; and a much longer period is required before the surface of the lava is decomposed and covered with mould, so as to answer the purposes of vegetation. 11. Destructive as the explosions of these burning mountains are, "their existence may be considered," says Dr. Woodward," as a special favour of Divine Providence, as they serve as a kind of spircules, or tunnels, to vent the subterraneous heat and vapours, which, if pent up, would make much more dreadful havoc by convulsions and earthquakes. 12. "There is scarcely any country much annoyed with earthquakes but has one of these fiery vents, which is constantly observed to be all in flames whenever an earthquake happens; by which means that fire is dis gorged which was the cause of the disaster; and there are not wanting instances of countries which have been wholly freed from them by the eruption of a new vol cano. 13. Could the reader behold Vesuvius or Etna in flames, he would probably be able to form a lively idea of the tremendous scene which was exhibited when Jehovah gave his fiery law from Sinai: when "the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring flame in the eyes of the children of Israel." But it may fall to the lot of few, perhaps none, who read this paper, to see an eruption of either of these mountains. 66 14. Every eye" will, however, one day, witness a sight much more awful; as much so as the rumbling of the mountain before it bursts, is louder than the whispering wind; and the fiery column more terrible in its brightness than the dancing meteor: "when every mountain shall smoke, and every hill be moved." Amazing period, when each mountain's height YOUNG. Then shall "the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up." 2 Peter, iii. 10. 15. There is, however, one Mountain which sends forth no flame; one Rock which cannot be moved, and "that rock is Christ." The real Christian, united by faith to him, looks down as from an eminence, where he stands in security on the wreck of nature. In that dreadful, in that delightful hour, lift up your heads “O ye saints, for your redemption draweth nigh;" ye shall then receive the gracious recompense of all your toil, and enter on the possession of all you have ever wished or desired. In the mean time, "Seeing you look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." 2 Peter, iii. 14. No. XII. DEW. THE dew is defined to be a dense moist vapour, found on the earth in spring and summer mornings; being collected there chiefly while the sun is below the horizon. Some philosophers have maintained, that the dew is formed from the vapours ascending from the earth during the night; and others, from the descent of those vapours which have been raised during the day. The former seems the most probable opinion; when, by the setting of the sun, the atmosphere begins to cool, the earth parts with its heat, or calorique. to restore the equilibrium, which, uniting itself to water, ascends in the form of vapour. 2. Hence, iu warm weather and in hot climates, we find the most dew; but in cloudy weather, or when the earth receives but little heat from the sun, little or no dew is to be observed. An experiment of Mr. Dufay, seems to prove that the dew ascends. This gentleman placed several large squares of glass, like the panes of a window, parallel to the surface of the earth, and at different distances from it. The lower surface of the lowest piece of glass was first wetted, then the upper, then the lower surface of the pane next above it, and so on till all the pieces were wet. 3. On the other hand, it is said, the same thing is observed of rain, which certainly descends from the atmosphere. If the motion of the dew be occasioned by the motion of the calorique, as we have supposed, it will account for it sometimes rising, and at other times descending. When the atmosphere is cooler than the earth, the heat rises from the earth, and with it the dew; and when hotter, as is the case in a morning, the heat passes from the atmosphere to the earth, and the dew descends. 4. The utility of the dew is obvious, as it serves to moisten the surface of the earth; and when there is the least rain, and it is most wanted, Providence has appointed that it shall be most abundant. By an experiment of the Bishop of Llandaff, it appears that, after a |