tti}.
TIIK HliniKK 1(1 IIKK CHILD.
One U.9, my bry, upon thy chtek,'—^
'I h-.t chf tk so young nod Lri)^ht,i~
A'ld once I’d hcaT tlu-e speak
'I hy sosftlj lisp’d “pood night
Thtn res*, and not a shade of earth
Can cloud thy slumbers fair ;
Dark dn ams from worldly can s hare birth,
And thou hast nou]'ht cfcare ;
O, why mij^ht not litc’s silver tide,
M’iili th( e thus t-ver smoothly glid« 5
ho fjnzi 3 (jii the bloom of May,
IV’or siffhs that all will wither ?
And )ct the blossoms must decay,
Krc we the fruit may g'atiicr ;
And lilt’s sweivt morning buds of joy,
Like spring llowtrs soon depart ;
And thou inubt changc, yet wear, my boy.
Life’s freshness in thy heart;
jPure fi elings, like tlie flower's perfume,
Embalm the ineuiory of its bloom.
'Man’s lot—“ dominion o’er the earth”—
Maketb his sinews strong,
And that proud lot will lead thee forth,
All ardent mid,the throng ;
Jjfc’s onv» ard path is wrapp’d iu night.
And dangers are its Fame ,
Ambition holds an eagh fli*;ht.
And spurns at tiuitt’s name ;
And I’leasun-’s syren songs entice,
And flovvt-rs conccal the precipice.
O, wilt hou wander, then, my boy ^
Awa}, ye idle fi ars !
W'hjr sliroud oui sun of present joy
In clouds of future years ?
There’s Onb will watchthct, though 1 sleep
W lit re miTning never shone ;
Th*r«’» O^i: thy faultering steps can keep;
\\ uu dst thou Mib voice were known?
Then list, amid the world’s wild din.
The still small voice, thy heart within.
1 short distance, he mii^ht go along one.
The over crowded ai»d uohealihy parts
/i'towns would scatter their inhabitants
nio the country ; for the man of business
would be as quickly and cheaply at his
po^i from several miles off, as he is now
roin an adjoining street. The present
leavy charges for bringing produce to
market from great distances bi?ing nearly
saved, the buyer, eyery where, would
purchase chcaper, and the producer
would be still better remunerated. In a
word, such a cb;i»i;;e would arise as if the
whold of Britain had been comprcsscd
t-y magic into a til  Ic of a few miles in
repliM, as in the whispering gallery,
l)*came audible to the inquirers alone,
riie concave* undulating, and pcrfectl\
polished surface?of many sea shells fils
ihem to catch, to concentrate, and to
return the pulses of all souikds that hap
pen to be trembling about them, so as to
produce that curious resonanck from
within, which closely resembles the sound
of the distant ocean—so closely, that the
spirited boy, after studying the interest
ing stories of voyages, which paint dan
gers to be nobly braved, and charms of
nature to be seen in distant lands, often
feeds his imagination with this voice of
diameter, yet wiihmit any part losing I ihe shell, and fancies himself already
augh* of its magnitude or beauties. aIi riding among the billows.
this may appear visionary ; but it is less
so than it would have been seventy years
ago, to anticipate what h^s now come to
pass, that the common time of travelling
from London to Edinburtj;h would be
forty-six hou' s. At the opening; of the
rail road near Darlington, in 1825, a tram
of loaded carriage* was dragged by one
little steam engitie a distance of twenty-
five miles within two hours j and in some
parts of the journey, the speed was more
than twenty miles an hour. The whole
load was equal to a regiment of soldiers,
and the coal expended was under the
value of a crown. An island wiih such
roads would be aii impregnable fortress;
for in less ime than an enemy would
tequire to disenil>;!tk on ;;py pan of the
coast, the forces ot’ tlie country fnij^ht be
concentratfd to ili letu! ii.
[Z?r. Jlrnutt's Elcmtnts of Physia.
tQ.
Mixing together profit and delight.
C0NCF.N1 RATION OF SOUND.
Tlie reason why a tube conveys sound
so fur IS, ihat its Moes confine or repress,
by a continued rdlection, the advancing
soiMid, which in the open air would
quickly spread laterally, and be dissipat
ed. And the reason that the plane sur
face of a smooth Wall, or of water, $tc.
also conveys sound so far is, thut it sim
ilarly prevents the l.iieral spreading and
dissipation, although only on one side.
Persons far apart may converse alonj? a
smooth wall. 'I'he clear voice of a street-
crier, in a town situated on the borders
of a lake, may be heard across the water,
in a calm evening, at a distance of more
ihan five miles—the sound of bells, of
course, is, audible much farther. And
in the si illness of ni j> ht, a steaiii-l)oat, by
the splashing of its w heels, will announce
its approacli, lo persons, wailing, at a
If a sound-
itfleciing suiface be curved inwards,
ih, concave, ii not only prevents the
spitaoing of any sound which passes
along It, but is constantly condensing
such a sound, by driving the external
p«n t» inwards. Hence in a circular space,
such as a gallery under a dome, persons
close to the wall may whisj>er to each
other at ail distances. A ear-irumpet is
a tube wide at one end, where the sound
RAIL ROADS.
Ill reviewing the history of the human
f, we find every remarkable increase
in civilization to have taken place very
iTiiu h in proportion to the facilities of
intercourse enjoyed in pdi-tirular snua- disunce of iilteen miles,
tions; til St, therefore, civilization grew ° -
alorg the banks of great rivers, as the
Is'ile, the Eijj)hiatcs and the (Ganges; or
along the sl.ores of inlaiul st. sand Ar-
cltiprlagoes, as in the M* diterram un and
lh«‘nuinerou'- islands of tin ete ; or over
fci iilt* jiid t xiended plains as in many
pbiis oT 1'(lij. 1 ne itason is obvious.
\\ hen !!•»• siiua;u»n thus binds a great
runilx r (,f iiKlinduals into one body, the
Uii I’ul ihi.ught or action of any talented [ enters, and narrow at the other, where
'■ ’ * — the ear is applied ; its sides are so curved,
individuji, and winch were he in the in-
stiiu'ed sia'c, Would soon be forgotten
anJ lust, extends its ii lluenre immedi-
at I) to tie whole body, diid becomes the
thi^uglii or actujti of all who can benefit
by it ; it is rccotiied lorever, as part of
the grow ing science or art of the com-
nriUTiity. And in a numerous society,
sufh useful thoughts and acts are more
fj'»queni, because an emulation arises in
all the pursuits that can contribute to the
well being of the society, from each in
dividual feeling that he has the eyes of a
r'ultiiude upon him, and that the rewards
of. xcellriice will be ))roj)ortionally great.
M. n soon learn lo t stinidte aright these
atid n»any other advaniagt s of easy in-
fercnurse j ai d afer having seized with
u\ idiiy all the stations naturally fined lor
xheir purposes, they begin to make new
stations themselves,atid lo improve upoii
the old ; ihey create rivers and shores,
atid plains of their own, that is, they
Construct canals and roaus ; and thus con-
Hf c JI eglons which nature seemed lo have
ae| ai aJed forever. In the liriiish isles,
■whose fa'JUit d children have so proudly
taken the lead in showing the |)iodigies
IVInch wisepoluv may tlfec4, the advan-
tagt s ari'ing from ceiiain lines of canal
aruJ road first txecuiev'l, soon led to num-
Jbeilr'ss similar enterprises, and within
half a century, theempwe has been thus
iniersected in all dii ictions ? iind ii seems
if ini' Tioble wot k were now to be crow m d
by the substitution of level rail ways foi
rn'jr.v of the («,ii>inon rouds anil canals.
S. tiul rail w ay s of consul* rable rxteni
alieady been established, and al-
i^ittugh ihe) and ihe carriages upon ihem
aie lai f'f having ihe petfeciion which
philosophy -,u*)s th« y will admit, tbc re
sults have been \try saiisfactoiy. II we
sti^[>t»se the pi ogress to' continue, a.’ul
tl,e price of it ansporiing things and per
sons lo be r* duced by them to a fourth ol
the present charge, and in many eases,
it nu y Ije n.uch less ; and if we suppose
the tin e of journeying with safety also
reduci d in considerable degree, of which
theiecanbeus little doubt, the general
adi)piion of them would efl'ect an ex-
tuotdinarv revoluiioti and improvemen;
in the Slate ot society. W’lihout in real
ity ct.anging the distances of places, i’
vould, in efloct, bring all nearer to each
oti .1, and would give to every p.irt ui
tht k'l.udoiu the conveniences of tovvi
ana loun.ry, of sea coast and of highlaix,
di'^'iict. A man, wherever rcsidi:.;.
m g ii c o?isi(|.-i iiimself virtually neat
ai ; other pan ; loi' ai tin expen'-t of t
ti.cic and money vrluch he uovv pays to
that,according to the law of reflection,
all sound which enters is brought to a
focus in the narrow end. It thus in
creases manifold the intensity of a sound
which rcachcs the lar through it, and
enables a person who has become deaf
to connmon conversation to mix again
with pleasure in society. The concave
hand held behind the ear answers in some
degree the j.uirpose of an ear-irumpet,
and in a vei y large theatre is sometimes
useful even to persons of the quickest
hearing. A notorion’s instance of a
sound-collecting surface was the tar oj
Dionysius, in the dungeons of Syracuse.
The roof of the prison was so framed as
lo collect the words, and cvtn whispers
of the unhappy prisoners, and to direct
along a hidden conduit to where the ty
rant sat listening. The wide spread si'll
of a ship, rendered concave by a gentle
breeze, is also a good collector of sound.
It happened once on board a ship sailing
along the coast of Brazil, 100 miles from
land, lhat the persons walking the dcck,
when passing a particular spot, alv ays
heard most distinctly the sound of bells,
varying as in human rejoicings. Ail on
board listened, and were convinced, but
the phenomenon was mysterious and in-
expSicuble. Months al'ierv*ards, by coin-
[jaiing notes, it was ascertained that at
a time of observation the bells ofthe city
i)f St. Salvador, on the iirazilian coast,
had been ringi?ig on the occasion of a
iV’stiva!—ilic sound, therefore, favoured
by a gentle w ind, had travelled over 100
miles of smooth water, and bad been
brought to a focus by the sail in the par
ticular situation the deck where it was
listened to. It appears from this, that a
machine might be constructed, having
the same relaiion to sound that a teles
cope lias lo light. The speaking trumpet
is made 2cccrdin'~ the same law of re
flected tiotjiu!, with the view of directing
\he strcngtli of Ihe voice to a particular
point. The sea captain uses ii to send
his orders alolt, where the unaided voice
would be lost in the noise of the wind and
vyavci ; or to hail ships at a distance. A
-imilar rormofinoutb is used for the
/ior/i and common trumpet, and Ills ihein
o sound the note of command amid the
uproar of contending armies. Some
.musing elVects have been produced Ijy
-Iterating on sounds with tubes and coti-
• uve suri'ac'cs. What, was termed the
nvisible I'ir/, was a contrivance where the
,uisiions «jf visiiers were caught by a
' t ctuled coticave, and carried to ihe
aucctor, whu sat at a distuuc. ; and liis! merry, j-ood humoured Paurpeict"s~
[Jrnolt’s Elements of Physics.
PAUL PETERS.
Many years have passed away since
Paul Peters dwelt in one of the numerous
little hamlets, which sprinkle the proud
Stale of New York. lie had come a-
mong the simple dwellers of the land, a
stranger; and had gradually glided into
their confidence. Apparently poor and
friendless, none knew him ; and after a
few short weeks none asked who he was;
yet in that brief space of time be had
made himself beloved ; his kindness to
the little urchins of the place, and his
good natured countenance were a welcome
passport to the hearts of all. He was
not rich, ^though he did not appear to be
poor. The simplest garb was his con
stant apparel. The farmer with whom
he had domesticated himself, aflirmed
that he had ever paid his little demands
cheerfully.
Two summers passed away, and still
Paul was a universal favourite. Not a
dance took place, but Paul tripped it a-
way the liveliest of the happy throng;
not a harvest feast was given, at wnu i
Paul was not the merriest guest ; noi j
fire side party took place without hi^.
telling the best siory. — When he came
among the old, they looked upon him a-*
the herald of joy, and he was every where
welcomed with a hearty smile. The
young considered him as a kind friend,
who had caused them many a happy hour
Ijy the pleasant tales of lands fur awa\.
I he little ones delighted to cling about
him i and often as they hung around his
neck, would ask him of his home, his
family, and friends; he never answered
them, save with a klss.~Many a ros^
cheeked damsel, as she laughed with
him in a dance, would sigh when she gaz
ed upon Paul's broad, manly face, and
thought he perhnps loved some fair one
who resided iu the place where he had
spent his younger days.
The family in which he lived began to
look upon him with the feelings of kin
dred ; ihe good old farmer, so dear lud
he become to him, called him his own
dear boy, and ihe dame would hope he
might one day beccjme so, when she be
held him kiss the blijshing cheek of
her half laughing, half resisting daugh
ter Lucy. Summer f.owers die j but
love’s bl ssoms ripen.
Paul was soon lo oecome the husband
of Lucy. I'rom constantly assjcialing
together, they had learned to love each
other ; and Lucy was one ol the simpiesi
and loveliest of the'chiidren of nature!
The family were asseinoled the day be
fore the intended nuptials, around th
blazing hearth. All appeared cheerful,
when the dash of a horse’s hoofs was
heard over the frozen ground, and in a
few minutes a grey lieaded negro, hav
ing alighted from a noble horse, presetit-
ed a packet to Paul. The limbs ofthe
horse were sleek and well I'orined ; ami
tht; nealiiCbS of the black’s dress prov«-d
him to be the favored servant of some
good lord. Paul having perused tiw
packet, directed the ride" to letiuT liie
lioise, and rest himself until ihe mor
row. No more Was Suid of the o« cur
rency, for it had made no alteraiion ii'
the mannei s of the one it mos! coiice! n'.
The jest and ihe laugh went round ; ano
gay Lucy retired to rest, to dream of ih.
kind hearted Paul and of future days oi
love.
The morrow came. But neither PdU
nor black were to be found. The hors,
too Was gone. Lucy wept, and her pi -
renis advistd j i>ut what is advice t»
love-sick hean ! 'I nough her mothei
would strive to console, yet what ap
peared in the shape ol comfort acied on
ly as a probe. She was still the samt gei.-
ile being she had ever been ; hut she nt
ver smiled, the joy of her counteiianci
was gone.
Paul’s name was now never mention
ed ; for it seemed to increase the sad
ness of Lucy ; and his memory, save
with the disappointed girl, had begun to
die away. Month afier month rolled on,
but the truant came not.
The war of the colonies was beginning
to throw its terrors into this part of the
country, till now the abode of peace : and
the young were girding on their armour
against their oppressors. It was when
a troop was organizing in this hamlet,
lhat (ieneral G. rode with his servant
into the village to inspect this body of
men. Ilis war-worn features, and scar
red brow told tales of hardship and of
suflering ; but still there were features
which were immedialely recognized as
those of Paul Peters. All were ready to
open their arms to him; little had they
thought lhat the distinguished Cieneral,
whose voice was so iidluential in the
war councils of his cfjuntry, was the
General G. followed by the same grey
haired servant, paccd quietly
avenue, leading to the cottage of Lucy.
When he arrived at the latticc window,
he beheld the fair girl. The last time he
had seen her, that kiss he had given her,
came rushing up in his mind ami the
contending emotions of his soul almost o-
verpowered him. The grey headed ser
vant opened the door and announced
“ General G.” The family rose to re
ceive him. But Lucy recognized the
chosen of her heart, rushed into his open
arms, and gently sighed, “I knew you
would return !”
JRFim'a COLUMBUS.
The following is the first chapter of
the 2d book of the Life of Columbus,
which is now in press. It relates an
incident in the life of Columbus not to be
found in the common biographies of that
great man, and being told in the agreea
ble manner which is characteristic ol
Mr. Irving’s writings, will be perused
with pleasure by our readers.
First arrival of Culumbus in Spain.—It is
interesting lo nonce the first arrival of
Columbus in that country, which was to
come the scene of his glory, and which
ne was to render so powerful and illustri
ous by bis discoveries. In this we meet
with one of those striking and instructive
contrasts which occur in his eventful his
tory. The first trace we have of him in
Spain, is the testimony furnished a lew
years after his death, in the celebrated
law suit between his son Don Diego and
the crown, by Garcia Fernandez, a phy
sician resident in the little seaport of
Palos de Maguez, in Andalusia. About
Haifa league from that town stood, and
stands at the present day, an ancient con
vent ol I'ranciscan friats, dedicated to
Santa Ivlai la de Habida.
.According to the testimony of the Phy
sician, a stranger, on loot, accompaicd by
a small boy. Slopped one day at the gate
of the convent, and asked of the porter a
iiille bread and water for his child.—
\V nile receiving this humble refresh
ment, the niior of ihe convent. Friar
JuanPertzde Marchena, happening to
pass i>y, w as sii uck with the appearance
of Ihe stranger and observing from
nis air and accent tbai !ie was a foreig
ner, entered inio conversation with
nun, and soon learrit the partu ulars ot
iiis siory. I'hai stranger was Ci-Ium-
bus, accompuni(d by his young son
Uiego. W’lierc he had cotne from iloes
not clearl} appear; ihalhe v^as in desti-
tue circumstances is evident from the
niuiit. of his vvu) taring : iie was on his
Way to tlie neif;hooimg town ol Iluelon
to seek nis l)rother-in-law, who had mar
ried a sister of his deceased wife.
The prior was a man of extensive in
formation.—Ills attention had been lui n-
eu in sjoie measure to geographical and
nautical science, probably from his vicin-
i>y to i^aios, the inhabitants cf which
vv re an»ong ihe most entei prisirg navi
gators of Spain, and made frequent voya
ges to ihe recent discovt red islands and
countries on ibe African coast. He was
greatly interested by the conversation of
Columbus, and struck with the gran
deur of his views. Ii was a remarkable
occurrence in the monotonous life of the
cloister, to have a man of such singular
character, intent on so extarordinary an
enterpnz , applying for bread and vvaier
at the gale of his convent. He detained
him as his guest, and diffident of his own
judgment, seni for a scientific friend to
converse wilh him. That friend was
(iariia Fernandez, the physician of Pa-
I s, the same who furnishes this inter-
> sting testimony. Fernandez was equal
ly s iuck with the appearance and con-
\er *.lion of the stranger.-Several confer-
t net s took place at the old convent, and
the project ofColrinibus was treated wilh
I Ol ference in the quiei cloister ofLa Ra-
•‘.‘ida, which it had in vain bought amidst
•iie (lusile and pretension of court sages
.lid j/hilosophers. Hints too were galh-
■ed among the veteran mariners of Pa-
which seemed to corroborate his
iieoi y. One Pedro de Velasco, an old
and experienced pilot of the place, af
firmed that nearly thirty years before,
in the course of a voyage, he was carried
by Stress ol weather so far lo the north
west, that Cape Clear in Ireland lay lo
tiie cast ot him. Here, tiiough there
w as a s!long wind blowing from ihe west,
the sea Wds perfectly smooth ; a remark
able ciiranistance, w hich he supposed lo
l)e product d by land lying in that direc-
tj»>n. It being late in August, however,
he was tearful of the approach of winter,
and did not venture to proceed on the dis
covery.
Fray Juan Perez possessed that hearty
zeal in iriendship which carries good
♦viihes into good deeds: Being fully
peisuaded lhat the proposed cnierprise
would be of the utmost importance to the
country, he ofTercd lo give Columbus a
favorable introduction to Court, and he
advised him by all means to n'pair t!.i;h-
er, ami make his propobiiions \o Uie
Spanish Sovereigns, .hiaii I’ere/ was on
in'.imate terms with I'eriiando de Tal-
avera, prior of tl'.e mona:;'.ery of Prado
and confessor to the cjucet’. a man high
in royal confidence, atid po .sessing greai
weight in public aflairs. To him he gave
Coluiiibus a letter, strongly recommend
ing himself and his entcrj)rise to the pat-
’’onagc cf Talavcraj and requesting his
friendly intercession with ihe king
queen. As the influence ofthe church
was paramount in the court of Castile
and as Talavera, from his situation coml
munication with the queen, every thing
was expected from hia mediation. Iu
the meantime Fray Jean Perei took
charge of tlic youthful son of Columbus,
to maintain and educate him at his con’,
vent.
The zeal of this worthy man, thus
early enkindled, never cooled j and many
years afterwards, in the day of his sue.
cess, Columbus looked back, through
the brilliant crowd of courtiers, prelates
and Philosophers, who claimed the honor
of having patronised enterprise, and
points to this modest friar, as one who
had been most efi'ectually its friend. H«
remained in the convent until the spring;
of 1486, when the court .arrived in the
ancient city of Cordova, where the sov
ereigns intended to assemble their troops,
and make preparations for a spring com*
pa'gn against the Moorish kingdom ol
Grenada. Elated then with fresh hopes,
and confident of a speedy audience, on
ihe strength of the letter to Fernando de
Talavera, Columbus bade farewell to tht.
worthy Prior of La Kabida, leaving him
his child, and set out, full of spirits, for
the court of Castile.
JEREMT TAYLOR’S IDEA o/cn ATJIEIS U
Who in the world is a verier fool, a
more ignorant, wretched person, than he
that is an atheist ? A roan may better be
lieve that there is no such man as him
self, and that he is not in being, than that
there is no God : for himself can cease lo
be, and once was not, and shall be chang
ed from what he is, and in very many pe
riods of his life knows not that he is; and
so it is every night with him when ho
sleeps ; but none of these can happen to
(jod : and if he knows it not, he is a fool.
Can any thing in this world be more fool
ish, than to think lhat this fair fabric of
heaven and earth can come by chance,
when all the skill of art is not abk
to make an oyster ! To see rare effects
and no cause; an excellent government
and no prince ; a motion without an im
moveable J a circle without a centre :
a time without eternity ; a second with
out a first J a thing that begins not from
itself, and thertfore not to perceive there
is someihing from whence it dees be
gin, which must be without beginning;
these things are so against phylosophy
and natural leason, that he must needs
be a beast in ins understanding that does
net assent 'o them. This is the atheist:
I he fooi hath said in his heart there is n^
God; iliat is Ills character. The thing
framed, says lhat nothing framed it ; the
longue ticver made itself to speak, and
yet talks against him that did ; saying,
that vviiicli IS maue, and lhat which
made it, ts no/. But this folly is as infi
nite as hell, as much wilhijut light or
Ijound as the cAaos or the primitive nothing.
But in f.his, the devil never prevailed ve
ry far his schools were always thin at
these Icctures. Some few people havo
been witty against God, that taught them
to speak, before they knew how to spell
a syllable ; but either they arc monsters
in their manners, or mad in their under
standings, or ever find themselves confu
ted by a thunder or a plague, by danger
or death.
Human Xature.—While come one was
talking before Dr. Cheyne, an acutc
Scotsman, of the excellence of human na
ture, “Hoot, hoot,mon,” says he, “ hu-
man nature is a rog’je and a scoondrel;
or why would it perpetually stand in
need of laws and of religion.”
7'u'o Lawyers.—An opulent farmer ap
plied about a lawsuit to an attorney, who
toldliim he could not undertake it, i)C-
ing already engaged on the other side ;
at the same time he said, that he would
give him a letter of recommendation to a
professional friend, which he did. Tht
farmer, out of curiosity, opened it, and
I read as follows :—
” Here’s two f:it wetliers fallen out together,
It you’ll fleece one. I’ll fleece the other,
And mahe ’em agree like brother & brother.*’
The farmer carried this epistle to the
person with whom he was at varianrc
Its perusal cured both parlies, and term
inated the dispute.
An Irish gentleman lately fouglit a du
el with his intimate friend, because he
jocosely asserted, “that he was born
without a shirt to bis back 1”
Judicious s Jdvire. —The best way to deal
w ith most slanders is not to notice them.
Nine times in ten they will die quicker
than you can kill them.
The amount of Bank capital in Nev^
Vork is g 10.87,000.
STANZAS.
The loveliest flowers, that bless the spring.
Fade earliest fVom the view;
Tlic happiest hours on swiftest wing.
Their rapid flight punue.
r.ut, though the rose thus early die.
Us fragrance may remain ;
And, though our.houri thus swiftly
Ti'flixiww may b» gaa«.