During the time these sculptures were in execution, the objects themselves must have been under the eyes of the artist, as the accidents to which their loss is attributed, happened long after the arch was completed. The same sacred vessels made under the immediate direction of Moses, did not exist in the Temple at the time it was destroyed: those brought back from Babylon having been carried off by Antiochus Epiphanes, but they were immediately replaced by persons well acquainted with their form, and it is still easy to trace the general outlines of these objects in Exodus xxv. 3-36. The Jewish Historian, Josephus, an eye-witness of the triumph of Vespasian and Titus, distinctly mentions these objects as making a conspicuous figure in the procession. After mentioning some other particulars, he says, "But for these (spoils) that were taken in the Temple of Jerusalem, they made the greatest figure of them all; that is, the golden table of the weight of many talents; the candlestick also that was made of gold,"-" the branches were in number seven, and represented the honour in which the number seven was held among the Jews." He then adds, " and after these triumphs were over, Vespasian resolved to build a temple to Peace: he also laid up therein these golden vessels and instruments that were taken out of the Jewish temple, as ensigns of his glory. But still he gave orders that they should lay up their law and the purple veil of the holy place in the imperial palace itself, and keep them there*." Thus, although injured by time and accident, there is still standing at Rome a resemblance, taken from the objects themselves, of the holy instruments and vessels, originally formed according to divine instruction, 3323 years ago; bearing undeniable evidence to the truth of the Mosaic history. It is probable that part of these injuries may be attributed to the antipathy which the Jews have to this monument of their final overthrow. The lapse of eighteen centuries has not effaced the memory of that calamity from the minds of the modern Jews. At little more than a thousand paces from this monument, there is another memorial of their subjugation. In what is called the Ghetto Ebrei (or abode for Jews), from five to six thousand of them reside, and are confined every night, from an hour after sun-set till an hour before sun-rising, in a few narrow and dirty streets that have been allotted to them. memory of those events which led to it, have been guarded by every circumstance that can give authenticity to history *. Two Roman emperors of eminent renown (Vespasian and Titus) were employed in the work of destruction, and the notice taken of it by their contemporaries proves it to have been regarded as the most prominent achievement of their reign. The exploits of Roman power were recorded and speedily published to the utmost limits of an empire that extended from the Thames to the Euphrates. Surviving the convulsions by which that mighty empire was torn in pieces, the Jews remain a distinct people, preserving with religious care the history of their crimes, and sentences of condemnation, and though in avowed enmity to Christianity, supporting by their obstinacy the evidence of its truth. * Medals were also struck on the occasion, on one side of which there is a female figure in the attitude of grief, under a palm-tree, with the words JUDEA CAPTA, and on the other, the head of Vespasian or Titus. EACH has his fault we readily allow; After eighteen centuries of persecution, they remain a living monument and illustration of some of the most remarkable passages of Scripture prophecy. Moses foretold in detail, the miseries of the siege which Josephus has related, and predicted the signal DISCRETION in speech is more than eloquence.— punishment that awaited their unbelief; and the honours conferred upon Titus for completing their ruin, took place at the distance of no less than half a century from the time that our Saviour forewarned them of its approach. These prophecies are in our hands, and the captive nation itself has been dispersed among us to attest their accomplishment. If the present condition of the Jews be a fact, for which we have the evidence of our senses, so the *The Copy of the Law and the Purple Veil of the Sanctuary were accordingly preserved in the imperial palace; thus they all remained for more than 300 years, till in the sack of Rome, 455, they fell into the hands of Genseric, and were carried into Africa to Carthage from thence they were afterwards translated to Constantinople, then the capital of the Roman empire, by Belisarius, who recovered them in his conquest of Africa; and by a strange vicissitude they were again transferred to Jerusalem. What has become of them since, it is difficult to conjecture; it is suspected by some, they were carried to Persia in the year 641, by Chosroes, but there are doubts whether the ship in which they were embarked ever reached its destination. STRAW-PLATTING. -BACON THE following notice of Straw-platting, abridged fro.n a fuller account, collected during the last Autumn in the districts where the occupation is followed, is published under the impression that it will excite an interest for the improvement of this ingenious manufacture, and lead to the adoption of it in new districts, where the supply of a populous neighbourhood may render it a profitable employment to industrious females. At the present time, upwards of 200,000 females are engaged in the process. The precise period when the Dunstable bonnets made of straw-plat, that is of entire wheat-straws platted in long narrow strips, and afterwards sewn together, were invented, is unknown. The Dunstable bonnet is probably a century and a half old.-Gay, in his Shepherd's Week, said to have been written about 1720, in giving an account of the valuables bequeathed My new straw hat, so trimly lined with green, The weight and clumsy appearance of these bonnets, which confined the work generally to the sinall straws, probably first suggested the idea of dividing the straw; but the difficulty of making the division so that each of the parts might be equal, the labour expended in the operation of splitting, and the unevenness of the work where the splits were not of equal breadth, must have retarded the progress of this ingenious branch of our manufactures very considerably. The first attempts to divide the straw, were by mcans of knives; but this was a work that occupied much time. About thirty years ago, a mode was invented of dividing the entire straw into equal parts, by means of little instruments called "MACHINES," and then platting the divided parts. The ingenuity of the inventor (a great benefactor to his country,) was rewarded by realising a fortune of 30,0007.; and from that time may be dated the use of the plat made from divided straws. The Straw-platting Districts include Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex. In many other counties the platting is partially followed, and it may be well adopted in other districts for the supply of the neighbourhood. The material generally used is ripe wheat-straw; but rye and other straws have been used, and within the last ten years large quantities of Italian straw, said to be both of corn and grass, have been imported, and worked up into what are called Tuscan plat. Experiments on the different straws of corn and grass, and on the precise times when they should be cut, whether before or at the time when the corn and grass are ripe, might lead to some discoveries, which would add to the profits of the manufacturers, as well as to the durability and beauty of the bonnets. Straw-platting is of importance to farmers, in these times, in an agricultural point of view, from the increased value of good straw; twopence per pound being given for it in the rough-that is, without the heads of corn,-in the straw-plat districts. The platter should be furnished with, 1st. a knife, to cut the straw; 2nd. a tub (or box) and cover, with a few ounces of brimstone, and something of iron to burn it upon, for fumigation; 3rd. machines for dividing the straws; 4th. a work-bag; 5th. a plat-mill; 6th. a cloth to wrap the work in; 7th. a piece of pasteboard, to roll the plat round as it is worked; 8th. a bottle with water, to wet the straw; 9th. a piece of deal, half a yard broad, to wind the platting upon. After whitening, the straws are again examined, and the good ones separated from the bad. They are then again cut, so as to be from eight to ten inches in length, and are again put into smaller bundles, about ten inches round, tied with straw; and in that state are taken to the plat-market for sale. The process of whitening, or steaming, consists in subjecting the straw to the fumes of brimstone, in a close tub or box. The bundles, or handfuls, are first dipped in water, then shaken a little, so as not to retain too much moisture, and put on their ends round the inside of the tub or box. About an ounce of brimstone, broken into small pieces, is placed in the centre of the box, on a plate, or piece of tin or iron, and lighted; and the box is shut or closed up, to keep out the air and prevent the fumes escaping. The straws are examined by the platter before they are cut or used. The following are the principal faults. 1st. Black-haud, spottiness, or spot, which frequently arises from the rubigo, or rust in wheat; this is a great fault, frequently occurring in unfavourable seasons 2nd. Red-haud, or redness, which is also a fault spoiling the appearance of the plat; 3rd. Bruised straw; 4th. Jointed straw; 5th. Crooked straw. The three latter kinds will not divide, or work well. The good straws are divided into three or four sizes, according to the calibre of the straw, or degree of fineness, for the different works. The straws are then cut into splints by the Machines, of which there are two kinds. One kind, probably the earliest, consists of a pointed wire, upon which the straw is forced; it then comes in contact with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, sharp divisions (the Nos. 5, 6, 7 are the most usual), which divide the straw into so many equal parts. These instruments have handles, and are made of either brass or iron; some are made more crooked than others; the price is from twopence upwards. The other kind consists of the point and sharp part let into wood. Several instruments, as the Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7, are in one piece of wood. This latter instrument sells, in white wood, or oak, for one shilling and upwards; in mahogany, somewhat dearer. These ingenious instruments, and the plat-mills, after mentioned, are obtained with difficulty except at the market-stalls, on market-days, in the straw-plat districts; they may, however, be procured in London. By the division of labour, it is usual in manufactories for one person (a Splitter) to examine, sort, and split the straw for fifty others, who are called platters, or braiders. The straws, when split, are termed splints; of which each worker has a certain quantity. Before working up the splints or straws into plat, those which are more or less curved or hollow, are flattened. This was attempted to be done by the common rolling-pin, but latterly by an instrument of work called the PLAT MILL; made generally of deal, but sometimes of box-wood. The straw is put between the cylinders of this mill, and worked two or three times through it, by which the splints become The process of platting is as follows: The strawatawers, or farmers' labourers *, are employed in drawing out the straws and cutting off the heads of corn (for threshing would bruise and split the straw). When this is done, it is sometimes sold to the platter in the rough, at about twopence a pound. The next process is to strip the straw of the leaves that sheathe the stalk, and cut it into proper lengths. Each straw is taken, root upwards, and stripped, and then cut with a knife (not too sharp), ready for whitening or steam-flat, and are easy to work. The plat-mill in use at ing, so as to allow it to be cut again into shorter unjointed lengths. The straws so cut, supposing the root up, are the upper or top, the middle, and the lower or bottom. Very good straw will produce three; but generally there are two, the upper and lower. Good straws must be straight. The lengths are cut twice, for the ends are liable to be injured in steaming, and the straw requires to have a good end to work with. * It is seldom the platter takes the business in the first stage. present is soon put out of order; and an acceptable service would be rendered to several English counties, by the improvement of this simple but important machine. It is almost impossible to describe the mode of +A washing-tub, or a common tea-box, such as are sold by the grocers, will answer the purpose; but a superior kind of box is used by Mr. Collier, of Ivingho, Bucks, a very intelligent manu facturer. It is a large oblong box, in which are placed the bundles of straw, reserving a place for the brimstone, which is let in by a trap-door at one end: the bo may be opened in six or eight hours. working straw into the different plats; it can only be learnt under an able and kind instructress, who may be obtained from the straw-plat districts, on reasonable terms; when females are taught quite young, however, it is not difficult of acquirement. There are many schools in the districts, but they are susceptible of considerable improvement. Platters work first with the top of the straw (the root being upwards); the other end is generally either spotty or discoloured by the sun and air; the top is bright, having been covered by the leaf, which sheaths about two-thirds of the length up to the next joint. The platter leaves the lower ends unplatted, which appear in regular work at one side. Platters should be taught to use their second fingers and thumbs, instead of their fore-fingers, (often required in turning the splints,) which very much facilitates the platting, and they should be cautioned against wetting the splints too much; taking care, in double platting, to use enough to make the straws stick together. After a piece has been platted, it should be wound round a board, half a yard broad, and fastened at the top with yarn, and kept there several days, to form it into a proper shape. Of the different plats, which are numerous, the principal are the following. First: the Dunstable, or whole straw; a considerable improvement has taken place in the imitations; as 2nd. the Rustic, of four coarse straws: this is a large plat, and used in making very common bonnets and hats; 3rd. the Pearl, of four small straws, not much used, being very expensive; 4th. the Devonshire of seven straws; 5th. the fine-seven; 6th. the Backbone, also worked in seven; 7th. the Double-seven the straws are in the doubles wetted and laid together, and worked double; 8th. the Eleven Straw; 9th. the Double Eleven; 10th. the Lustre, or shining, of seventeen straws; 11th. the Wave, of twenty-two straws, the straws appear as if worked 12th. the Diamond, of twenty-three straws. The platter works and sells by scores, or pieces of twenty yards long; and three score, or three and a half of the commoner straws, will make a bonnet. The bonnet-makers cut the score into half scores or ten yards, and a quarter score, or five yards. one way; A good platter can make half a score in a day, or three score a week; good work will always command a sale, both in winter and summer. It is not intended here to describe the further process in making bonnets and hats ;-the plat is, by the best manufacturers, bleached (which is a delicate process). At Luton, and in some other places, there are regular bonnet-bleachers. The plat is then sewed, by the bonnet-sewers, (a difficult branch of business,) who make and form the bonnets and hats, which are then blocked; (an operation very laborious, and giving rise to disease of the chest, very often ending fatally Can this be remedied?) The bonnets and hats are then pressed, and after being wired, lined, and ticketed, are ready for sale. There are markets for the sale of the large bundles of long straw, both rough and properly stripped; the short straws; the straw-plats; and the bonnets, &c., throughout the straw-plat districts. The best bonnet-market is at St. Alban's, but there are others at Luton, Dunstable, and Braintree; these markets are held only in the morning, from about eight to ten o'clock, and the plat buyers always attend. The price of Double-seven (common plat) in October, 1832, was under eighteen-pence a score three score and a half make a bonnet, which may be purchased at the market by the public, and be made up at the bonnet-maker's. W. Tempie, January 1, 1833. ; THE USES OF ADVERSITY. Health to the bud, and fragrance to the flower, So, churlish Fortune rears her favourite child, His present Majesty, when residing in Bushy Park, had a part of the foremast of the Victory, against which Lord Nelson was standing when he received his fatal wound, deposited in a small temple in the grounds of Bushy House, from which it was afterwards removed to the upper end of shot had completely passed through this part of the mast, the dining-room, with a bust of Nelson upon it. A large and while it was in the temple, a pair of robins had built their nest in the shot-hole, and reared a brood of young ones. It was impossible to witness this little occurrence without reflecting on the scene of blood and strife of war, which had occurred to produce so snug and peaceable a retreat for a nest of harmless robins.-JESSE's Gleanings. MEN balance a moment in possession against an eternity in anticipation: but the moment passeth away, and the eternity is yet to come. IN wonder all philosophy began; in wonder it ends and admiration fills up the interspace. But the first wonder is the offspring of Ignorance: the last is the parent of Adora tion. COLERIDGE. ANNIVERSARIES IN JANUARY. MONDAY, 28th. 814 Charlemagne, King of France, and Emperor of Germany, died 1547 Henry VIII. King of England, died at Whitehall. 1596 Sir Francis Drake, the celebrated English Admiral, died. 1612 Sir Thomas Bodley, from whom the Bodleian Library at Oxford (the largest in Europe,) takes its name, died. 1613 Louis XIII. of France issued an edict against Duelling, with a declaration that he would never grant the royal pardon in such a case. 1725 Peter the Great, Czar of Russia, died at Petersburgh. Catherine I. proclaimed Empress. TUESDAY, 29th. 1579 Union of the Seven Provinces of Holland, signed at Utrecht. 1820 His Majesty, George 111. died at Windsor, aged 82, and in the 60th year of his reign.-Accession of King George IV. WEDNESDAY, 30th. MARTYRDOM OF KING CHARLES I. OF ENGLAND. A. D. 1649. 1790 A Life-boat first put to sea, at South Shields, on the Tyne. 1826 The Menai Suspension Bridge, which connects the isle of Anglesey with the county of Caernarvon, opened. THURSDAY, 31st. Hilary Term Ends. 1616 Cape Horn first doubled. 1788 Sir Ashton Lever, the celebrated Naturalist, and founder of the Leverian Museum, died suddenly at Manchester. 1788 Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of James II. King of England, died at Florence. THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. IT has been already stated (p. 7), that when Numa Pompilius altered the Roman Calendar, he added January and February to the year; making the latter the second month. Following the example of the Greek calendar, he assigned to it twenty-nine days; which number Julius Cæsar continued: but Augustus Cæsar reduced them to twenty-eight, adding the twenty-ninth, or expunged day, to his own month of August; still Numa's number was, in a manner, kept up; for, every fourth year, an additional, or twentyninth day was intercalated between the twenty-third and twentyfourth of February. These alterations made by the Emperor Augustus, are retained in our calendar, with this slight difference, that the intercalated day, instead of remaining unnoticed, is every fourth, or leap year, styled the 29th and last day of February. This month, which has PISCES, or The Fishes, for its sign in the Zodiac, was placed, by Numa Pompilius, under the immediate protection of NEPTUNE, the Pagan god of the waters; who was held in high estimation by the Romans, not only as holding dominion over one of the four elements, but also on account of the advice which he was supposed to have given for carrying off the daughters of their neighbours, the Sabines, by the primitive inhabitants of Rome. Be that as it may, its present name took its origin from FEBRUA, one of the names of the goddess Juno, who presided over the purification of women; because the feast of the Lupercalia was then held. Some authors contend that it is derived from Febrais expiatoriis, or sacrifices for the purgation of souls; because, at a feast which was always held on the second day of this month, the heathens themselves not only underwent a lustration, or purification, by sprinkling with bu aches of hyssop, dipped in water, but they also offered sacrifices to P.uto, the infernal deity, on behalf of their ancestors and relatives. By our Saxon ancestors, February was called SPROUT-KALE*, or the month in which young cabbages, or colewort, began to sprout. They afterwards changed it into SOL-MONATH, or Sun Month, from the then returning sun, or the approach of spring; when seeds and plants begin to vegetate by the gradually-increasing warmth of the season. The common emblematic representation of February is, a man in a dark or sky-coloured habit, bearing in his hand the astronomical sign of Pisces, or the Fishes. In the ancient Saxon pictures, a vinedresser was shown in the act of pruning his trees;-in others, a man in a jacket, buttoned up close, striking his arms across his body, in token of the early part of the month being generally the most inclement portion of the year. February has also been represented by a man clad in a white robe, with a wreath of snowdrops round his temples, and holding a burning candle in his hand. ANNIVERSARIES IN FEBRUARY. FRIDAY 1st. 1394 Charles VI. King of France, was nearly burnt to death at a masquerade given in honour of the marriage of one of the Queen's ladies. The king, who entered the ball-room dancing, and covered over with flax, so as to resemble a savage or wild man, led in five lords chained together, and similarly habited. The Duke of Orleans, who was not aware of the quality of the maskers, approached them, and in a frolic applied his lighted flambeau to one of their heads; which, instantly bursting into a blaze, communicated to the others, and also set the furniture of the room on fire. The king escaped; but four of his chained companions were burnt to death; and the fifth was saved only by jumping into á vat full of water. 1649 Charles I. King of England, was brought a second time before his judges. The king, firm in his resolution not to recognise this new tribunal, insisted on the insufficiency of their power to try him. Bradshaw, the president, replied, "that the Court held its power from the Commons of the kingdom, to whom the kings, his predecessors, had always held themselves responsible;" but the king challenged him to cite an example of such jurisdiction. Cromwell, however, abruptly terminated the discussion, by saying, "that such explanations were useless, and that the Court had no time to lose in solving quibbles." 1733 Frederick-Augustus I., king of Poland, died at Warsaw, aged sixty-three. This sovereign's life is a striking instance of the vicissitudes of human life. Three years after having been elected King of Poland, he was driven from the throne by Charles XII. of Sweden, who gave the crown to Stanislaus Leczinski: but, on the defeat of Charles at Pultowa, he was restored, and continued to reign until his death. He was regarded by the Saxons as a father, and was held in great respect by the Poles. 1793 William Aiton, author of Hortus Kewensis,-a catalogue of the plants in the Royal Gardens at Kew,-died at Kew, in Surrey. SATURDAY 2d. CANDLEMAS-DAY.- PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. The feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin was formerly celebrated in this country, (and is still in Roman Catholic ones) by torchlight processions and by the performance of Mass with a multitude of Candles in the several churches. These customs are said to have been derived from the Romans, who went about their city with lighted torches on this day, in honour of Februa the mother of Mars, and to have been introduced into the church of Rome, by Pope Sergius. Such practices were continued in England, until the second year of the reign of Edward the Sixth, when Archbishop Cranmer suppressed them, by order of the King's Privy Council. Anciently, this day was called that of Christ's Presentation; and • Verstegan tells us that, by Kele, the Saxons meant Cole-wort, or Kelewurt; "which," says he," was the greatest pot-wurt, in time long past, that our ncestors used; and the broth made thereof was also called Kele or Kale." Before we borrowed from the French the words pottage and herb, the first, in our own language was termed Kele, and the second, wurt; ant as this Kelewart, or pottage-herb, was the chief winter-wurt, or garden vegetable, of the husbandman; so, also, it was the first herb which in this month began to yield wholesome young sprouts." This venerable author goes on to say, that this herb was held, not only by our ancestors, to be very good both for sus tenance and health; but that the ancient Romans also had such an opinion thereof, that, during six hundred years, whilst Rome was without physicians, the people were accustomed to plant great stores of these wurts, which they accounted both meat and medicine; for, as they did eat the wurt for sustenance, so did they drink the water wherein it was boiled, as a thing sovereign in all kinds of sickness.' It may be added here, that, throughout Scotland, this mode of using Colewort, or Kail, is continued to the present day, and that there is no cottager so poor who does not cultivate his Kail-yard, in the Reformed Church it is still kept as a solemn festival, in memory of the humiliation of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, whilst submitting to the law which enjoined personal purification after child-birth, presented the infant Jesus in the Temple; for, to render the first-born son holy unto the Lord, it was enjoined by the Mosaical ordinances, (see Leviticus, ch. xii.) that attendance should be given in the Temple, and that an offering should at the same time be made of money, or sacrifice. The Virgin Mary accordingly attended with her first-born on the Fortieth day, and presented a pair of doves,-that being the offering suitable to her circumstances. From this pious obedience to the law, on the part of the Mother of Our Lord, arose the rite of Churching women after child-birth, in this country; but, as the ancient Mosaical institution has been abrogated by the new and more perfect law, no other sacrifice than that of the heart is now enjoined; nor is any precise day fixed for the public performance of this act of piety. 1300 Institution of Jubilees in the Romish Church, by Pope Boniface VIII. 1625 Charles 1. crowned at Westminster. 1799 Elizabeth Woodcock buried under the snow for eight days, near Cambridge. See Saturday Magazine, vol. i. p. 239. 1824 The ship Fame, in which Sir Stamford Raffles and his family had sailed from Bencoolen for England, and which contained a cargo of saltpetre, took fire and blew up, about thirty miles south-west from the port whence she had set out. The pro perty lost by Sir Stamford amounted to £30,000; but his papers, drawings, and collection of specimens in natural history, which he had made in Batavia, may be considered an irreparable loss to science and to literature. The passengers and crew were providentially saved in two small boats; for only half an hour elapsed between the discovery of the acci dent and the final destruction of the vessel ! SUNDAY 3rd. SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY.-The three Sundays and weeks that precede LENT, have long been distinguished by the names of Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima; which terms signify the Seventieth, Sixtieth, and Fiftieth. Many fanciful and absurd reasons have been assigned for these titles; but the most satisfactory one is as follows. when the words were first applied to denote the Sundays in question, the season of Lent had generally been extended to a fast of six weeks, or thirty-six days, exclusive of Sundays, which were always celebrated as festivals. At this time, likewise, the Sunday which we call the First Sunday in Lent, was styled, simply, QUADRAGESIMA, or the fortieth day before Easter; and Lent itself was denoted the before Quadragesima ceased to be considered as weeks after the EPIQuadragesimal, or Forty-Days' Fast. Now, when the three weeks PHANY, and were appointed to be observed as a time of preparation for LENT, it was perfectly conformable to the ordinary mode of comnumbers, to count by decades, or tens; therefore, the compilers of putation, to reckon backwards, and, for the sake of even and round the new ritual and of the proper offices, naturally styled the first gesima; and the third, Septuagesima.-See SHEPHERD'S Elucidation Sunday before Quadragesima, Quinquagesima; the second, Sexaof the Book of Common Prayer. BLAISE,-or Blaize, was an ancient Bishop of Sebastia, in Armenia. He suffered martyrdom, under Dioclesian, in the year 289. Ile is said to have found out the art of combing wool; on which account, the journeymen wool-combers in England have sometimes a grand procession on this day. One of the trade personates the bishop, carplaces, where the wool-combers are numerous, this procession excites rying a pair of combs in his hands. In Leeds, Norwich, and other much interest. 1552 Peter Duchatel, Bishop of Orleans, and Grand Almoner of France, died of apoplexy, whilst preaching before Francis I. 1738 Death of Sir Thomas Lombe, proprietor of the famous mill for silk-throwing; being the first and largest silk-mill ever constructed in England. This mill had a great influence on the commerce of Great Britain; and a complete model of it is deposited in the Tower of London; the original, brought from Italy, in pieces, was erected in the town of Derby. Su Thomas received a grant of 14,000l. from Parliament, for having, by this complex machine, contributed so largely to the national prosperity. 1794 Sixteen persons crushed to death, in attempting to obtain admission into the Theatre in the Haymarket, London. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION, APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS UPON VOLCANOES. ALTHOUGH VOLCANOES occupy but a small portion of the earth's surface, and their eruptions are far from frequent, they have, in consequence of their terrific grandeur, most forcibly arrested the attention of mankind in all ages. Their number is estimated at about 200; and they are thus distributed. The continent of America, with its islands, contains about 116; Asia and its isles, 66; Europe and its isles, 13: no volcanoes have as yet been found on the African continent, and those of its islands are included in the above estimate. Of these vents of subterranean fire, about 90 are insular, or situated in islands; the remainder are continental. It is well known that few of the whole number of volcanoes throughout the world, are ever in activity at the same time: some of them lie dormant for ages; others for shorter periods; whilst a few may be said to have become altogether extinct or spent. Nor is the volcanic activity at all proportional to the size, either of the mountain, or its crater; the greatest energy being often manifested by those of the least magnitude. Those which eject lava, or red-hot melted rock, are very few; the matter thrown out by many being merely ashes, with, sometimes, blocks of stone, torrents of hot water, and rivers of mud. Those volcanic mountains from which such vast volumes of water descend, generally have their craters situated in regions of perpetual snow; and the quantity of fluid is, consequently, supposed to be greatly increased by the melting of the snow and ice during an eruption. A striking example of this is afforded by COTOPAXI in South America: that mountain rises above the line of perpetual frost; consequently, whenever a fiery eruption takes place, the snows in and around the crater are melted; and so descend in torrents, sweeping away the towns and villages at its base. On one VOL. II. occasion, a village, thirty leagues distant, was thus over whelmed ! The space which volcanoes, with their theatres of action, occupy on the surface of the globe, is comparatively small; it having been estimated that all the beds of lava hitherto emitted from the bowels of the earth, that have been re corded in history, do not cover more than 24,000 square leagues, which is only one 800th part of the whole earth's surface; but the beds of combustible matter in the bowels of the earth, which produce them, are more extensive than this superficial admeasurement. Although no very satisfactory theory of the natural causes and mode of action of the volcanic fire has yet been esta blished, several circumstances may be mentioned, which, in some degree, tend to elucidate them. In the first place water seems to be a necessary agent in the production of volcanic fire; for columns of aqueous vapour ascend, and torrents of salt water flow, from these reservoirs of ele mental strife: various minerals and metals also, with sulphur and other combustibles, contribute to the production of subterranean fire. These substances, lying together, or being imbedded in separate strata, are supposed to remain quiescent, until water flows in upon them, when they immediately exert upon each other a chemical action, and decomposition and consequent ignition take place, for then each substance being resolved into its primary elements, a greater volume, or bulk, is created by the expansion of solids into fluids, and of fluids into gases or aëriform substances. Thus the interior of the earth is disturbed, and the surface shaken, producing the phenomenon known by the name of earthquake, whilst the decomposed combus tible matter, becoming every moment more and more bulky, and incapable of continuing longer within its confines, finds the nearest vent to the surface by heaving up the super 37 |