Yea, other men, when we are gone, Shall, for thy mercies, honour thee, To such as after them shall be. A SACRED SONG, in which our ancestors used to express their thankfulness for a seasonable change, after their alarm had been excited by continuance of bad weather. LORD! should the sun, the clouds, the rain, To us so froward and unkind, As we are false to thee; All fruits would quite away be burned, But, from our duty though we swerve, The weather now thou changed hast, And, when our hopes were almost past, The Heaven the Earth's complaint hath heard, And thou such weather hast prepared, As we desired of Thee. For which, with lifted hands and eyes, To Thee we do repay, The due and willing sacrifice Of giving thanks to day; Because such offerings we should not Nor let that mercy be forgot Which Thou art pleased to show. PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER. DURING our late war with France, the want of a secure and extensive anchorage in the entrance to the Channel was much felt; the Sound at Plymouth, comprising the bays named Cawsand Bay, the Catwater, and Hamoaze, offered a suitable asylum to a great fleet returning from a cruize, and being one of the grand naval arsenals, could supply without delay every thing requisite to enable it to put to sea again; but unfortunately, this road being wholly open and exposed to the ocean and south-west wind, afforded, in its natural state, no protection whatever during those very storms which most frequently obliged our fleets to seek an asylum in it. It has, therefore, frequently happened that they have been obliged to run into Torbay, which is perfectly sheltered from the south-west; but this bay had also great inconveniences: first, it is more to the east than Plymouth, which is an important circumstance, because when the west wind is constant, it is very difficult for vessels to get out of the Channel by tacking; for great fleets it is impossible. These serious inconveniences having long shown the necessity of converting Plymouth into a safe harbour, government at length resolved that something should be done, and various plans were proposed and discussed. To Lord Grey, when at the head of the Naval Administration, the first contemplation of this great national work is due; but to Mr. Yorke belongs the merit of having adopted the plan, and caused it to be carried into execution, notwithstanding the forebodings of those who were hostile to it. His own sound judgment, however, backed by the opinion of Mr. Rennie, (the celebrated engineer, under whose guidance Waterloo Bridge was erected,) gave him assurance of the propriety and of the successful issue of the undertaking. The failure of a work of the same description which was executed by the French at Cherbourg-owing to the small size of the stones used in its construction, and the ill-judged form of the mound-showed, that to resist the force of the heavy sea that rolls in from the south-west, a very considerable slope would be necessary, and that great masses of stone, from one to ten tons each, would be required. The quarries from which these were procured are situated at Overton, on the eastern shore of Catwater; they lie under a surface of about 25 acres, and were purchased from the Duke of Bedford, for ten thousand pounds. These quarries consist of one vast mass of compact close-grained marble, many specimens of which are beautifully variegated; seams of clay, however, are interspersed through the rock, in which there are also large cavities, some empty and others partially filled with clay*. . These huge blocks of stone are conveyed from the quarries on trucks, along iron railways to the quays, and from thence into the holds of vessels, built expressly for the purpose†. On their arrival over the line of the Breakwater, they are discharged from the trucks by means of what is called a typing-frame at the stern of the vessel, which falling like a trap-door, lets the stone into the sea. In this manner, a cargo of sixteen trucks, or eighty tons, may be discharged in the space of forty or fifty minutes. The following sketch of the ground plan and section, will best explain the form and dimensions of this great national work. The width of the section from A to B, is upwards of 250 feet; the total length of the Breakwater is 5100 feet. The first stone was sunk on the 12th of August, 1812, and on the 31st of March, 1813, the Breakwater made its first appearance above the surface of the Sound at low water, spring-tide. At the conclusion of the year 1816, upwards of one million tons had been deposited. The whole of the work above the line of low-water mark has been some time finished, and this splendid In one of these caverns in the solid rock, 15 feet wide, 45 feet long, and 12 feet deep, filled nearly with compact clay, were found imbedded fossil bones belonging to the Rhinoceros, being portions of the skeletons of three different animals, all of them in the most perfect state of preservation, every part of their surface being entire to a degree, that Sir Everard Home says, he had never observed in specimens of this kind before. The part of the cavity in which these bones were found, was 70 feet below the surface of the solid rock; 60 feet horizontally from the edge of the cliff, where Mr. Whidby, who was associated with Mr. Rennie in the undertaking, began to work the quarry, and 160 feet from the original edge by the side of the Catwater. Every side of the cavern was solid; nor was there any external communi cation through the rock in which it was imbedded; when, therefore, and in what manner these bones came into that situation, is among the secret and wonderful operations of Nature, which will probably never be revealed to mankind. + Monsieur Dupin, the celebrated French engineer, gives an animated description of the working of these quarries, and thus concludes: "The sight of the operations which I have just described, those enormous masses of marble which the quarry-men strike, with heavy strokes of their hammers; and those aerial roads of flying bridges which serve for the removal of the superstratum of earth; those lines of cranes all at work at the same moment; the trucks all in motion; the arrival, and the loading, and the departure of the vessels; all this forms one of the most imposing sights that can strike a friend to the great works of art. At fixed hours, the sound of a bell is heard, in order to announce the blasting of the quarry. The operations instantly cease on all sides, all becomes silence and solitude; this universal silence renders still more imposing, the noise of the explosion, the splitting of the rocks, their ponderous fall, and the prolonged sound of the echoes." undertaking is proceeding steadily towards its completion. The fitness of this immense mound for the purpose for which it was intended, has been clearly proved by the manner in which it has withstood the attacks of the sea during so many stormy winters; never, except in one instance, having had a stone displaced during the most violent gales. The instance alluded to, occurred on the night of the 19th of January, 1817, when such a hurricane came on, as had not been remembered by the oldest inhabitant. The waves rose six feet higher than the usual height of spring-tides. The Jasper sloop-of-war, and the Telegraph schooner, being at anchor without the cover of the Breakwater, were driven to the head of the Sound, and lost; while a collier, heavily laden and under its cover, rode out the gale, and no damage was sustained by any of the vessels in the Catwater. After the hurricane was over, it was found that a portion of the upper layer of the finished part, about 200 yards long, and 30 yards in width, had given way and been displaced; the whole of the huge stones, from two to five tons each, having been carried over and deposited on the northern slope of the Breakwater. It has now resisted the effects of fifteen other winters, and still remains, and there is no doubt will for ages remain, a monument of the arts, worthy of the nation by which it has been constructed. [Abridged from the Quarterly Review.] MORNING. THE God of mercy walks his round From day to day, from year to year, And warns us each with awful sound, "No longer stand ye idle here." Ye whose young cheeks are rosy bright, Whose hands are strong, whose hearts are clear, Waste not of youth the morning light, Oh fools why stand ye idle here? And ye whose scanty locks of grey Foretel your latest travail near, How fast declines your useless day, And stand ye yet so idle here? One hour remains, there is but one, But many a grief and many a tear Through endless ages, must atone For moments lost and wasted here.HEBER. EVENING. How sweetly now do outward things Oh! that the peace which reigns without Oh! that my restless, wayward heart Still passion rules my soul. O Lord of Hosts, against my peace Come thou, and my corrupted heart To holiness renew! Christ's servant am I, and in Him LONDON: T. K. A. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. THIS far-famed monument of antiquity extends along the whole of the northern frontier of China, separating that country from Tartary. Its computed length is upward of 1500 miles; in height it varies from twenty to twenty-five feet; while the thickness or width is fifteen feet. Towers forty-eight feet high are erected at distances of one hundred yards from each other throughout its whole length. The country over which it passes is wild and hilly, and in some places it is built on the steep sides of mountains between five and six thousand feet above the level of the sea; it surmounts their summits, and again descends into the valleys; in crossing a river it forms a ponderous arch; sometimes large tracts of boggy country opposed great obstacles to the progress of the architects, but all these difficulties were overcome by their perseverance, and the gigantic undertaking was completed in the space of five years. To accomplish this object the power of a despotic emperor was exerted, and every third man in the kingdom forced to labour at the work till it was finished. A large mound of stone erected in the sea, in the province of Pechelee, east of Pekin, formed the foundation, or rather beginning of this mighty bulwark. It is said to have been erected about 2000 years ago, by the first Chinese emperor of the family of Tzin, to check the inroads of the Tartars, who had continually harassed the inhabitants of the northern districts of China. In some spots where the natural aspect of the country is weak, this wall of defence VOL. I. Was doubled, and even trebled, to make up the deficiency. In the year 1212 the Monguls forced the wall, made incursions as far as Pekin, and defeated an army of 300,000 men. After many changes of destiny, the last Chinese emperor, Whey-tsong, being deserted by his people, and opposed by the Tartars, destroyed himself, along with his queen and daughter; and the empire has been governed ever since by a Tartar monarch, though, by removing the seat of empire to Pekin, and by adopting the Chinese language, manners, and customs, Tartary seems rather to be incorporated with China than the conqueror of it. The state of preservation in which this great work remains, leads to the belief that it must have been repaired several times since it was originally erected. ENGLAND. AN Englishman has good ground for thankfulness in the happiness of his native land-England has indeed been famed, by God's blessing far, very far beyond other nations. We do not here speak of her just and equal laws-the moderation of her government, or of that well-regulated liberty, both in civil and religious matters, of which the very poorest of her inhabitants partakes. Great and valuable as these blessings are, there are others attached to the soil and climate of Great Britain, and we shall prove its superior healthiness, by a general comparison with other countries. We are too ready to join with foreigners in the abuse of our climate, but, variable as it certainly is, Charles II. spoke an undoubted truth when he said 22 that there is no country in the world, (take the year throughout,) where men can live so much out of doors, as in Great Britain. In a valuable work, lately published*, we are told that it has been ascertained by returns, That the mortality of Great Britain, its cities, and its hospitals, is greatly inferior to that of any other country in Europe, that it is incontestable that Great Britain is at present the most healthy country with which we are acquainted; and that it has been gradually tending to that point for the last fifty years."-" This superior value of life in Great Britain, is not confined to any particular districts or classes of individuals. To whatever point we turn our view, the advantage is still the same: the man of affluence, the pauper-patient of the hospital, the sailor and the soldier on active service, the prisoner of war, the inmate of a gaol, all enjoy a better tenure of existence from this country than from any other of which we have been able to consult the records. It has been long the fashion, both abroad and at home, to exhaust every variety of reproach on the climate of our country, and particularly on the atmosphere of London; and yet we shall find that the most famed spots in Europe, the places which have long been selected as the resort of invalids, and the fountains of health, are far more fatal to life than even this great metropolis. The annual proportion of deaths at Montpelier, was greater thirty years ago, and is greater at present, than in London. "The annual deaths on the average throughout England and Wales are nearly 1 in 60. The country which approaches most nearly to us is the Pays de Vaud; where the mortality is 1 in 49. In France one inhabitant dies annually in 40, a proportion precisely similar to that of London. The kingdoms of Prussia and Naples range between 33 and 35. The annual mortality of Nice, though a small town, and reputed salubrious, is 1 in 31; Naples, 1 in 28; Leghorn, I in 35. We instance those places as being the frequent resort of invalids, but how astonishing is the superiority of England, when we compare with these, even our great manufacturing towns of Manchester, Birmingham, &c."-" If we take the great Cities of Europe, their inferiority to London in respect to the value of life is equally pointed." In London, as before observed, the annual deaths average 1 in 40; in Paris 1 in 32: Lyons, Strasburg, Barcelona, the same. In Berlin 1 in 34; Madrid 1 in 29; Rome 1 in 25; Amsterdam 1 in 24; Vienna 1 in 224. We perceive that the inhabitant of London has thus almost a two-fold advantage in this respect." An Englishman cannot surely read this statement without a grateful feeling-fancied evils, when anticipated, should be met by the recollection of positive blessings-if this feeling were more common, we should be convinced that God hath dealt more graciously towards us than to any other nation on the face of the globe. There would be less "complaining in our streets," and hopes might be indulged, that such blessings would be mercifully continued to us and to M. our children. Elements of Medical Statistics, by F. B. Hawkins, M. D. ARABIAN HOSPITALITY, HAJJI BEN HASSUNA, a chief of a party of the Bey's (of Tripoli) troops, pursued by Arabs lost his way, and was benighted near the enemy's camp. Passing the door of a tent which was open, he stopped his horse and implored assistance, being exhausted with fatigue and thirst. The warlike Arab bid his enemy enter his tent with confidence, and treated him with all the respect and hospitality for which his people are so famous. The highest among them, like the Patriarchs of old, wait on their guest. A man of rank when visited by a stranger, quickly fetches a lamb from his flock and kills it, and his wife superintends her women in dressing it in the best manner. With some of the Arabs, the primitive custom (so often spoken of in the Bible,) of washing the feet, is yet adopted, and this compliment is performed by the head of the family. Their supper was the best of the fatted lamb roasted; their dessert, dates and dried fruit; and the Arab's wife, to honour more particularly her husband's guest, set before him a dish of “boseen” of her own making. This was a preparation of flour and water kneaded into a paste, which being half baked was broken into pieces and kneaded again with new milk, oil, and salt, and garnished with “kadeed,” or mutton, dried and salted in the highest manner. Though these two chiefs were opposed in war, they talked with candour and friendship to each other, recounting the achievements of themselves and their ancestors, when a sudden paleness overspread the He started from his seat countenance of the host. and retired, and in a few moments afterwards sent word to his guest that his bed was prepared, and all things ready for his repose; that he was not well himself, and could not attend to finish the repast; that he had examined the Moor's horse, and found it too much exhausted to bear him through a hard journey the next day, but that before sunrise an able horse with every accomodation would be ready at the door of the tent, where he would meet him and expect him to depart with all speed. The stranger, not able to account farther for the conduct of his host, retired to rest. An Arab waked him in time to take refreshment before his departure, which was ready prepared for him; but he saw none of the family, till he perceived, on reaching the door of the tent, the master of it holding the bridle of his horse, and supporting his stirrups for him to mount, which is done among the Arabs as the last office of friendship. No sooner was Hajji mounted than his host announced to him, that through the whole of the enemy's camp he had not so great an enemy to dread as himself. "Last night," said he, "in the exploits of your ancestors you discovered to me the murderer of my father. There lie all the habits he was slain in," (which were at that moment brought to the door of the tent), "over which in the presence of my family, I have many times sworn to revenge his death, and to seek the blood of his murderer from sunrise to sunset. The sun has not yet risen :-the sun will be no more than risen, when I pursue you, after you have in safety quitted my tent, where, fortunately for you, it is against our religion to molest you after your having sought my protection, and found a refuge there; but all my obligations cease as soon as we part, and from that moment you must consider me as one determined on your destruction, in whatever part, or at whatever distance we may meet again. You have not mounted a horse inferior to the one that stands ready for myself; on its swift. ness surpassing that of mine depends one of our lives, or both." After saying this, he shook his adversary by the hand and parted from him. The Moor, profiting by the few moments he had in advance, reached the Bey's army in time to escape his pursuer, who followed him closely, as near the enemy's camp as he could with safety. This was certainly a striking trait of hospitality, but it was no more than every Arab and every Moor in the same circumstances would do.-TULLY'S Residence at Tripoli. THE COCKFIGHTER'S GARLAND. BY COWPER. Founded upon the circumstances mentioned in the following article, which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for April, 1789: "Died, April 4, at Tottenham, John Ardesoif, Esq.; a young man of large fortune, and in the splendour of his carriages and horses rivalled by few country gentlemen. His table was that of hospitality, where, it may be said, he sacrificed too much to conviviality. Mr. Ardesoif was very fond of cockfighting; and he had a favourite cock, upon which he had won many profitable matches. The last het he laid upon this cock he lost, which so enraged him, that he had the bird tied to a spit, and roasted alive before a large fire. The screams of the miserable animal were so affecting, that some gentlemen who were present attempted to interfere; which so exasperated Mr. Ardesoif, that he seized the poker, and with the most furious vehemence, declared that he would kill the first man who interfered; but, in the midst of his passionate assertions, he fell down dead upon the spot." MUSE! Hide his name of whom I sing, For his sake, into scorn; Nor speak the school from which he drew Nor place where he was born. That such a man once was, may seem Perchance may credit win), For proof to man, what man may prove, The source of guilt within. This man (for since the howling wild Could make him such; and he had worth, In social talk and ready jest Possess'd of ev'ry kind. Can such be cruel? Such can be A tyrant, entertain'd With barb'rous sports, whose fell delight 'Twixt birds to battle train'd. Which never knew disgrace, Nor e'er had fought, but he made flow It chanced, at last, when, on a day, His courage droop'd, he fled, He doom'd his fav rite dead. And "Bring me cord!" he cried; Alive and struggling, tied. That can be, shall be sunk. Led by the suff'rer's screams aright, All, suppliant, beg a milder fate He, deaf to pity's call, Whirl'd round him, rapid as a wheel, Death menacing on all, But vengeance hung not far remote ; [From the VOICE OF HUMANITY.] ANECDOTE OF BISHOP HEBER.-At Malpas, in Cheshire, the late venerable Dr. Townson had for his co-rector the father of Bishop Heber; and the future Bishop, then a child, was a frequent visiter of his library, under the inspection, however, of the good Doctor-the boy being somewhat ungentle in his treatment of books, and apt, when he had squeezed his orange, to neglect it. Happy would this truly Christian Gamaliel have been, if he could have foreseen how fair a character he was then, in some little degree, contributing to form! how beautiful were the feet of that boy one day to be, bringing good tidings, and publishing peace to the East! But thus it is-let us ever act so as to promote the welfare of those among whom we may chance to be thrown; and we may sometimes have the satisfaction to find that we "have entertained angels unawares." Quarterly Review on Dr. Townson. OF DILIGENCE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF TRUTH.— Truth is a great strong-hold, barred and fortified by GoD and nature; and Diligence is properly the understanding's laying siege to it. so that, as in a kind of warfare, it must be perpetually on the watch; observing all the avenues and passes to it, and accordingly making its approaches. Sometimes it thinks it gains a point, and presently again, it finds itself batlled and beaten off: yet still it renews the onset; attacks the difficulty afresh; plants this reasoning, and that argument, this consequence, and that distinction, like so many intellectual batteries, till at length it forces a way and passage into the obstinate enclosed Truth, that so long withstood and defied all its assaults. Such is the force of Diligence in the investigation of Truth, and particularly of the noblest of all truths, which is that of Religion. But then, as Diligence is the great discoverer of Truth, so is the Will the great spring of Diligence. For no man can heartily search after that which he is not very desirous to find. Diligence is to the understanding, as the whetstone to the razor, but the Will is the hand that must apply one to the other. And where Diligence opens the door of the understanding, and Impartiality keeps it, Truth is sure to find both an entrance and a welcome too.-SOUTH, THE secret direction of Almighty God is principally seen in matters relating to the good of the soul;-yet it may also be found in the concerns of this life;-which a good man, that fears God and begs his direction, shall very often, if not at all times, find-I can call my own experience to testify that, even in the external actions of my whole life, I was never disappointed of the best guidance and direc tion, when I have, in humility and sincerity, implored the secret direction and guidance of the divine wisdom.SIR MATTHEW HALE. MRS. CHAPONE was asked why she always came so early to Church?" Because," said she," it is part of my religion, never to disturb the religion of others." THE heart is a soil in which every ill weed will take root and spread itself. There the thorns of worldly care, and the thistles of worldly vanity, will grow and flourish. As the husbandman watches his land, so should the Christian search and examine his heart, that he may cast out of it all those unprofitable weeds and roots of bitterness which will naturally get possession of it. If this work is rightly performed, the soil will be ready for the good seed of the word of God, which will spring up and prosper under the influence of divine grace, as the corn groweth by a blessing of rain and sunshine from the heaven above.JONES of Nayland, OUR translation of the Bible, and that also of the Book of Common Prayer, are written in a style of pure and noble English; but some words contained in them, have, by the change in the meaning of words since that day, assumed a meaning different from that in which they were then used; and by these, without due caution, the reader may be misled. They are, however, very few. One of the most remarkable is the word "prevent," which we now use in the sense " to hinder,” but it then signified" to go before :" and so it is to be taken in every case in which it occurs in the Bible or Prayer Book. Thus, in the Collect, taken from the Communion Service, which is usually offered before the Sermon, we have "Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings;" a petition which conveyed an idea then very different from the meaning of the word A curious instance of the old use of this word occurs in WALTON'S Angler, where one of the characters says, "I mean to be up early to-morrow morning to prevent the sun rising ;" that is, to be up before the sun.- JAMES EDMESTON. now. |