ing had been made to look like sixteen volumes, came tumbling down, and unluckily pitched upon a wedgewood ink-stand on the table under it. In vain did sir Thomas assure me, there was no harm; I saw the ink streaming from an inlaid table on the Turkey carpet, and, scarcely knowing what I did, I attempted to stop its progress with my cambric handkerchief. In the height of this confusion, we were informed that dinner was served up, and I with joy perceived that the bell, which at first had so alarmed my fears, was only the half-hour dinnerbell.

In walking through the hall and suite of apartments to the diningroom, I had time to collect my scattered senses, and was desired to take my seat betwixt lady Friendly and her eldest daughter at the table. Since the fall of the wooden Xenophon, my face had been continually burning like a firebrand, and I was just beginning to recover myself, and to feel comfortably cool, when an unlooked-for accident rekindled all my heat and blushes. Having set my plate of soup too near the edge of the table, in bowing to Miss Dinah, who politely complimented the pattern of my waistcoat, I tumbled the whole scalding contents into my lap. In spite of an immediate supply of napkins to wipe the surface of my clothes, my black silk breeches were not stout enough to save me from the painful effects of this sudden fomentation, and for some minutes my legs and thighs seemed stewing in a boiling cauldron; but recollecting how sir Thomas had disguised his torture, when

I trod upon his toe, I firmly bore my pain in silence, and sat with my lower extremities parboiled, amidst the stifled giggling of the ladies and the servants.

I will not relate the several blunders which I made during the first course, or the distress occasioned by my being desired to carve a fowl, or help to various dishes that stood near me, spilling a sauce-boat, and knocking down a saltcellar; rather let me hasten to the second course, "where fresh disasters overwhelmed me quite."

I had a piece of rich sweet pudding on my fork, when Miss Louisa Friendly begged to trouble me for a pigeon that was near me; in my haste, scarcely knowing what I did, I whipped the pudding into my mouth, hot as a burning coal; it was impossible to conceal my agony, my eyes were starting from their sockets. At last, in spite of shame and resolution, I was obliged to drop the cause of torment on my plate. Sir Thomas and the ladies all compassionated my misfortune, and each advised a different application; one recommended oil, another water, but all agreed that wine was the best for drawing out the fire, and a glass of sherry was brought me from the sideboard, which I snatched up with eagerness; but, oh! how shall I tell the sequel? whether the butler by accident mistook, or purposely designed to drive me mad, he gave me the strongest brandy, with which I filled my mouth; already flayed and blistered; totally unused to every kind of ardent spirits, with my tongue, throat, and palate, as raw as beef, what could I do? I could not

swallow, and clapping my hands upon my mouth, the cursed liquor squirted through my nose and fingers like a fountain, over all the dishes, and I crushed by bursts of laughter from all quarters. In vain did sir Thomas reprimand the servants, and lady Friendly chide her daughters; for the measure of my shame and their diversion was not yet complete. To relieve myself from the intolerable state of perspiration which this accident had caused, without considering what I did, I wiped my face with that ill-fated handkerchief, which was still wet from the consequences of the fall of Xenophon, and covered all my features with streaks of ink in every direction. The baronet himself could not support this shock, but joined his lady in the general laugh; while I sprung from the table in despair, rushed out of the house, and ran home in an agony of confusion and disgrace, which the most poignant sense of guilt could have excited.

The harvest-moon, is the moon the full of which happens either upon the autumnal equinox, or near it, whether before or after it: a few nights before the full, and also a few nights after it, she rises nearly at the same hour; that is, a short time before and after the setting of the sun; by which phenomena, the whole hemisphere becomes enlightenedfirst by the sun, and then by the moon, which not only make the nights pleasant, but, in some respects, profitable also, by enabling the farmers to get in their corn-harvest, hence called the harvest-moon: and as the season for hunting happens about this time, it is denominated the hunters'-moon: and because shepherds, for the better management of their flocks, are content to be abroad on those nights, it is sometimes called the shepherds'-moon. The sun enters libra about the twenty-third of September, and the full-moon which is nearest to that day is,

properly speaking, the harvest

moon.

Mr. Ferguson, in his astronomical researches, has given a full explanation of these phenomena, as they appear in different climates of the earth so much of it as suits our present purpose we shall abridge, as below.

To conceive the reason of the harvest-moon, it may first be considered, that the moon is always opposite to the sun when she is in full; that she is full in the signs pisces and aries, in our harvest months, those signs being opposite to virgo and libra, the signs occupied by the sun in that season; and that those parts of the ecliptic (in which the moon then is) rise from the horizon in northern latitudes in a smaller angle, and, of course, equal spaces, in shorter intervals of time than any other points, as may be easily shewn by the celestial globe; consequently, since the moon's orbit deviates not much from the ecliptic, she rises with less difference of time, or more immediately after sunset, about harvest, than when she is full at other seasons of the year.

The moon rises with nearly the same difference of times in every revolution through her orbit, when she is in the signs pisces and aries; and hence it may be asked, why we never observe this remarkable rising but in harvest? The answer is obvious : in winter these signs rise at noon, and, being then only a quarter of a circle distant from the sun, the moon in them is in her first quarter, and rising about noon, when the sun is in his meridian, the phenomenon is neither perceived nor regarded.

In spring, these signs rise with the sun, because he is then in them; of course, the moon, in conjunction, rises nearly with the sun, and is invisible. In summer, these signs rise about midnight, and the sun being then three signs, or a quarter of a circle, before them, the moon is in them about her third quarter, when, rising so late, and giving but little light, the peculiarity of her rising passes unobserved. But in autumn, these signs, being opposite to the sun, rise when he sets, with the moon in opposition or at the full, which makes her regular rising very conspicuous at that time of the year.

These circumstances would regularly take place, if the moon's orbit coincided with the plane of the ecliptic; but, as her orbit makes an angle with the ecliptic, varying from 5 degrees to 5 degrees 18 minutes, and crosses it only in the nodes, her rising, when in pisces and aries, will sometimes not differ above one hour and forty minutes, through the whole of seven days; and at other times, when in the same signs, the time of her rising, in the course of a week, will differ full three hours and a half, according to the different positions of the nodes with respect to those signs; which positions are constantly changing, the nodes going backward through the whole of the ecliptic in about eighteen years, two hundred and twenty-eight days. (The motion of the nodes for a short period is very regular; but by comparing together very distant observations, the mean annual is found to be about 19 degrees, 19 minutes, and 44 seconds in ante

cedentra; so that the nodes make a complete retrograde revolution, with respect to the equinoctial points, in about eighteen years, two hundred twenty-eight days, five hours.) This revolution of the nodes will cause the harvest-moons to go through a whole course of the most and least beneficial states, with respect to the harvest, in about nineteen years.

The following table shews in what years the harvest-moons are most or least beneficial, from the year 1817 to 1861. The columns of years under the letter L, are those in which the harvest-moons are least beneficial-those marked M, shews when they are most beneficial : the former falling nearest the descending node, the latter nearest the ascending node.

Harvest-moons. *
M L M L M

1817 1826 1835 1844 1853 1818 1827 1836 1845 1854 1819 1828 1837 1846 1855 1820 1829 1838 1847 1856 1821 1830 1839 1848 1857 1822 1831 1840 1849 1858 1823 1832 1841 1850 1859 1824 1833 1842 1851 1860 1825 1834 1843 1852 1861

Farmers were better acquainted than astronomers, till within these few years, with the circumstances of the harvest-moon. The first person, it is said, who attempted to account for this phenomenon was Mr. Johnson, in his " Questiones Philosophica."

The second edition of that little manual was published in 1735.

The harvest-moon, in south latitude, is the full moon which happens at, or near, the time of the vernal equinox; for, to the inhabitants of south latitude, whenever the moon is in virgo or libra (and she is in these signs twelve times in a year) her orbit is nearly parallel to the horizon; but, when the full moon happens in virgo or libra, the sun must be either in pisces or aries. Hence it appears that the harvestmoons are just as regular in south latitude as they are in north latitude, only that they happen at contrary times of the year.

CROSS READINGS.

Mr. Editor,

I need not inform your classical readers of the ancient celebrity of the Sortes Virgilianæ ; which consisted in the practice of opening the works of Virgil at random, in any case, of difficulty or doubt, and extracting, from whatever verse first presented itself, a hint of advice or decision on the matter in question;-but I may be allowed to express my regret, since this oracular authority of the Roman poet has fallen into disrepute, that no unexceptionable substitute for it has been established. This is the more wonderful, as an ingenious invention appeared among us, about thirty or forty years ago, which seems to be very capable

of being used to great advantage in this view it was the expedient of reading the common newspapers crosswise, or across the whole breadth of the page, without attending to the black strokes, which separate the columns; and thus taking any two lines that may stand next to each other on the same level, and exhibiting them in apposition. In the present times, when perhaps an oracle is more wanted than ever it was, I propose to revive this idea; as I have no doubt that the contrivance will be found to place many points of importance or curiosity in a new and satisfactory light. I beg leave to submit to you the result of my late inspections in this way, and to recommend similar investigations to such of your readers as pursue the appropriate branch of study.

Weybridge, Sep. 12.

CRISS CROSs.

Yesterday a violent thunderstorm-was bound over to keep the peace for two years.

The pregnancy of Buonaparte's new wife is announced-it was discovered to have been perpetrated by a servant in the house.

The new jail for the county of is finished-none but persons of respectability will be admitted.

Lost on Sunday in Hyde Park a young pointer-he wears his own hair, and speaks French fluently.

The principal partner in a great porter-brewery-was sworn and took his seat as member for Alesbury.

The shooting-season having commenced yesterday-after din

ner the case of the sufferers were taken into consideration.

King's Theatre, Haymarket. This evening for the first timePublii Virgilii Maronis opera.

The cold baths of Peerless Pool are now open-they are water-proof, and universally allowed to be the warmest winter wear yet invented.

A small whale was lately picked up off the coast of Scotlandthe coroner's jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned."

The projected battle between Belcher and Crib is laid aside— it being feared that the parties might come to personalities. A new bank was lately opened N.B. No money to be re

at

turned.