THE GIANTS' CAUSEWAY.

THE Giants' Causeway is the name given to a portion of that stupendous range of basaltic columns which extends over a great part of the north-eastern coast of Ireland and the adjacent islands. It is situated within one mile of Bushmills, on the northern coast of the county of Antrim, and consists of a most irregular arrangement of many hundred thousands of columns, most of which are of a pentagonal or fivesided form, and vary from one to five feet in thickness, and from 20 to 250 feet in height.

The origin of basalt is evidently volcanic, and the prismatic form in which it is found, appears to be the result of its having been melted. The composition of these pillars is well deserving the attention of the observer: they are not of one solid stone, but composed of several short lengths, curiously joined, not with flat surfaces, but like a ball and socket or the joints in the back-bones of fishes, the end of one being hollowed out so as to receive that of another, the depth of the hollow being generally about three or four inches. Although the most common form of these columns, as we have already noticed, is fivesided; many are found with eight, and some with only four sides, but notwithstanding the want of uniformity both of figure and size, and though they are perfectly distinct from top to bottom, yet is the whole arrangement so closely combined at all points, that the thinnest substance can scarcely be introduced between them, either upon the sides or at the angles. The whole mass forms a kind of mole or quay, extending from the base of a steep promontory, several hundred feet into the sea.

The hollows on the top of the joints are of use to the neighhouring poor; for they employ them in summer, as salt-pans, and thus very easily procure for themselves a kind of bay-salt. At high tide, they fill these little basins with sea-water, and the heat of the sun and of the stone, combined with the shallowness of the basin, causes the whole moisture to evaporate in a couple of days.

This peculiar arrangement of basalt is not confined to the coast of Ireland, but is to be met with in many other parts of the world. Fingal's Cave, in the island of Staffa, is formed of gigantic columns of this mineral; Samson's Ribs, near Edinburgh, affords another instance; and if we look abroad, we find Giants' causeways not uncommon in Italy, in the neighbourhood of Padua; in the hills of Auvergne and Velay in France; and in many other parts of the globe.

The colour of basalt is generally of a dark blueish gray, varying, at times, to brown or red; its texture is granular, and, in some cases, it is nearly hard enough to strike fire with flint.

The following account of a cave, called Dunkerry Cavern, in the immediate vicinity of the Giants' Causeway, and, in fact, a part of the same basaltic formation, will give some idea of the appearance of the basalt, when seen under other circumstances; is extracted from the Rev. G. N. Wright's Guide to the Giants' Causeway.

it

"In the dark perpendicular cliff is a deep and lofty cave, accessible by water alone; the entrance assumes the appearance of a pointed arch, and is remarkably regular. The boatmen are very expert in entering these caves; they bring the boat's head right in front, and, watching the roll of the wave, quickly ship the oars, and sail in majestically upon the smooth rolling wave.

"The depth of Dunkerry Cave has not been ascertained; for the extremity is so constructed, as to render the management of a boat there dangerous;

besides, from the greasy character of the sides of the cave, the hand cannot be serviceable in forwarding or Along the sides is a bordering retarding the boat. of marine plants, above the surface of the water, and of considerable depth.

The

"It has already been frequently observed, that the swell of the sea upon this coast is at all times heavy; and as each successive wave rolls into the cave, the surface rises so slowly and awfully, that a nervous person would be apprehensive of a ceaseless increase in the elevation of the waters, until they reached the summit of the cave. Of this, however, there is not the most distant cause of apprehension, the roof being sixty feet above the high water mark. roaring of the waves in the interior is distinctly heard; but no probable conclusion can be arrived at from this as to the depth. It is said, too, that the inhabitants of some cottages, a mile removed from the shore, have their slumbers frequently interrupted in the winters' nights, by the subterranean sounds of Dunkerry Cavern. The entrance is very striking and grand, being twenty-six feet in breadth, and enclosed between two natural walls of dark basalt; and the visitor will enjoy a much more perfect view of the natural architecture at the entrance, by sitting in the prow, with his face to the stern, as the boat returns."

THE LION AND THE UNICORN;

AND THE FORMER SUPPORTERS OF THE ROYAL

ARMS OF ENGLAND.

THE Lion and the Unicorn have been, for more than two centuries, the supporters of the arms of this kingdom. They were adopted at the time of the union of the crowns of England and Scotland, under king James the First, in the year 1603, and have been used ever since. Previously, however, to that time, there appear to have been repeated changes in the choice of supporters of the royal arms.

The origin of supporters in general has been traced, by some antiquaries, to the ancient tournaments, in which the knights caused their shields to be carried by servants or pages, under the disguise of lions, bears, griffins, blackamoors, &c. who also held and guarded the escutcheons, which the knights were obliged to expose to public view some time before the lists were opened. But perhaps, the best opinion is, that the first origin and use of them are derived from the custom of leading any one who was invested with some great distinction to the prince who conferred it, and of his being supported by two persons of rank when he received the symbols of honour; and, as a memorial of that ceremony, his arms were afterwards supported by any two creatures which he chose. Hence it is no wonder, that, amongst the various strange and ideal animals, such as the dragon, the griffin, the cockatrice, and the wyvern, figures used in heraldry; the unicorn also, as we now see it represented, should have been employed as a supporter *.

For the information and amusement of some of our readers, we subjoin an account of the SUPof Richard the Second. PORTERS of the arms of England, from the reign

1461 EDWARD THE FOURTH.

1413 HENRY THE FIFTH. This martial king had for his
supporters, on the right, a lion crowned; and, on
the left, a white antelope, with a gold collar and
chain.
1422 HENRY THE SIXTH had two white antelopes, also
collared and chained.
On the accession of the
House of York*, in the person of this prince, the
supporters were, on the right, a lion; on the left,
a white bull.
1483 EDWARD THE FIFTH reigned but two months: this
was during the regency of the wicked and ambi-
tious Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Supporters, on
the right, a lion; and, on the left, a white doe.
1483 RICHARD THE THIRD, late regent, had for his sup-
porters, two white boars. To these, GRAY, in his
beautiful poem of The Bard, makes an allusion, in
reference to the murder of Edward the Fifth, and of
his brother Richard, Duke of York, which was said
to have been committed in the Tower of London,
by order of this cruel tyrant, their uncle.

"The bristled boar, in infant gore,
Wallows beneath the thorny shade."

The silver boar was his badge; and he was generally known, in his own time, under the name of the boar, or the hog. 1485 HENRY THE SEVENTH took for his supporters, on the right, a red dragon; on the left, a white greyhound. In this king were united the houses of York and Lancaster.

the dragon-tree (Dracana Draco), from which the gum-dragon of the druggists' shops is procured. One specimen of that, in the Canary Isles, is mentioned as being about seventy-two feet high, and fourteen feet in diameter at the base. Its history, as a large tree, extends back more than 250 years.

The agave belongs to the pine-apple tribe (Bromeliacea), which contains no such giants as that which has The whole are natives of America, though many of been mentioned, and none of their pungent qualities. them have been transplanted to other parts of the world. The pine-apple is well known as the most exquisitely flavoured fruit that is produced in our hot-houses; and all that branch of the order are very fragrant; so that, in their native countries, where they grow, though not rooted in the earth, they are much used for ornamenting the balconies

of houses.

1509 HENRY THE EIGHTH had, on the right, a lion crowned; on the left, a red dragon.

1553 MARY, having married Philip the Second, King of Spain, in 1554, added the arms of Castile and Leon to those of England, and chose for supporters, on the right, a white eagle; and, on the left, a lion

crowned.

1558 ELIZABETH resumed the supporters of her father, Henry the Eighth, and of Edward the Sixth; viz., on the right, a lion crowned; on the left, a red dragon.

1603 JAMES THE FIRST, (Sixth of Scotland,) king of Great Britain. This king assumed for supporters, on the right, a LION crowned, and on the left the UNICORN, which have ever since that period maintained their distinguished posts. The reason of the unicorn being added in lieu of the dragon, was because James the First's supporters, as king of Scotland, were two unicorns.

Agave Americana is not an aloe, though it goes by the name. The true aloes belong to another natural order, the Asphodelee, which are named after asphodel, or king's spear, of which there are several varieties, natives of the south of Europe. That family all contain active principles, some of which are merely pungent, as in the onion tribe; others mild, by being blanched underground, as in common asparagus; and others, again, are strongly medicinal, and used as drugs; as the aloes of Zocotora and Barbadoes. Some of that family grow to be very large trees, as, for instance,

The emblem of this house, as displayed on its banners, was a white rose; that of the rival family of Lancaster, a red rose.

In consequence of the fatal quarrel which so long subsisted between these families, it has been estimated that, by battles and executions, above sixty princes of the royal family, above one half of the nobles and principal gentlemen, and above 100,000 of the people of England, lost their lives.

The right, or Dexter, in heraldry, being the right of the shield, not of the spectator.

set in large pots or tubs, though it bears the open air in the milder districts, all the year round. Indeed, it is apt to suffer more from the constant soaking of the rain, which gets into the central spire and rots the plant. The varieties with striped leaves are most handsome; but they do not flower so readily. Indeed, none of them can be made to flower in this country without artificial heat.

The scape, or flowering-stem, rises from the centre of the tuft of leaves; it is smooth and green, and the branches that bear the individual clusters of flowers come off very gracefully in double curves, which have the bend downward near the stalk, and upward near the flowers. The appearance is not unlike that of a majestic candlestick, with successive branches, for a great portion of its height; and tall as the stem is, the form of the leaves gives it the appearance of great stability.

Tropical America is the native habitat of the plant; but it abounds in the dry and warm places of the south of Europe, along the sandy shores of the Mediterranean, and especially in the south of Portugal, and in the dry districts on the confines of Portugal and Spain.

Like most plants which grow in very hot and dry places, the rind or epidermis of the leaves resists powerfully the action of heat, so that the interior of the leaves is very juicy. The juice contains a good deal both of alkali and oil (the ingredients of which soap is composed), so that in some places of the peninsula, it is used as a substitute for soap; the pulp forming a lather with water. Cattle are also fed on the sliced or bruised leaves, at those seasons when the pastures are burnt up by the drought. So that it is a useful plant even in those parts of Europe where the vegetation of more temperate climes is apt to fail.

In Mexico, it is far more useful; and is, indeed one of the most valuable products of the soil, answering some of the purposes which are answered by rye in the north of Europe, barley in the middle latitudes, and the vine toward the south. The wines and spirits of the country are prepared from it; and though their flavour is not much relished by Europeans, they are in high estimation with the natives. 39-2

The Great American Aloe.

form of a cup. That cup soon fills with the juice, which is removed successively, till no more can be obtained; and the remaining leaves, as well as those that are cut out, are dried for fuel. The juice is set to ferment; and when it has undergone that process, it is the Pulqué, or Mexican beer. It soon gets acid, and even rancid, from the quantity of oil; but the natives relish it. When recently made, it is said to be much more palatable; and probably it does not become unpleasant sooner than the weak and imperfectly fined malt liquors of this country do in the hot season.

The juice of the Agave is also distilled into an ardent and intoxicating spirit, called Mercal, or Vino Mercal, in which the inconsiderate indulge to the same excess as they do in spirits from grain, potatoes, beet-root, and other vegetables in Europe. The people of all countries are too fond of preparing such beverages; and the natives of India lay the palmtrees under contribution for their arrack; and the hemp, for that still more intoxicating and pernicious liquid which they call Bang.

The fibres of the Agave are tough and straight; and they are sometimes used as cords; but the proper cordage of the tropical Americans is not made from them; but from the fibres of some of the wild Bromelias; or from the coire, or fibres, which surround the shell of the cocoa-nut.

A specimen of the American aloe, exhibited in flower a short time ago at the Colosseum, in Regent's Park, London, was about twenty-five feet high; and the panicle, or bunch of flowers, which, according to

Bottle Tit and Nest.

The nest of the long-tailed tit, the bottle-tit as it is called, is somewhat in the shape of an egg; the inside is lined with feathers, and it has but a small opening at the top; one feather is always found covering this entrance, and placed in a slanting direction, so as to carry off the rain, and prevent its entering the nest; if the finger is introduced into this hole, it will be found that other feathers cross each other in various directions, all placed there with the same intent. If the nest is built in an old black-thorn in blossom, as was the case with the one represented in the cut, the outer part of it is found covered with small pieces of light-coloured moss, and other substances, so exactly agreeing in colour with the bark of the tree in which it was placed, that it could with difficulty be discovered. If the colour of the tree had been green, the moss selected for the covering of the nest would have been green also.

In India, the birds use still more artifice in building their nests, on account of the monkeys and snakes; some form their hanging dwellings in the shape of a purse, deep and open at the top, others with a hole in the side. Some with an entrance at the very bottom, forming their lodge near the summit.

The nests of the larger description of birds are constructed with less attention to warmth, than those of the smaller, and the reason is obvious; the small size of the eggs of the latter would not allow them, if exposed to the air, to retain their necessary heat during the temporary absence of the parent birds, and thus they would risk becoming addled. the larger size of the eggs of the larger birds prevent their temperature from being reduced for a consider

But

able time, and in these different modes of constructing the nest, the economy as well as liberality of nature is well exemplified: whatever is required for the good of the creature is granted, but all superflous labour and material is spared.

Reed Wren and Nest.

The nest of the reed wren, represented in the annexed cut, is firmly lashed to the stems of reeds, a few feet above the surface of the water, and being fixed generally at some distance from the banks of the stream, is securely placed beyond the reach of most of its enemies.

LETTER FROM DR. JOHNSON TO HIS GOD-DAUGHTER. THE following Letter was written by DR. JOHNSON, to his god-daughter. It is transcribed from the original, which is in the Doctor's hand-writing, and is still in the possession of MRS. JANE LANGTON, of Brighton, the lady to whom it was addressed :

66

My dearest Miss Jenny,-I am sorry that your pretty letter has been so long without being answered; but when I am not pretty well, I do not always write plain enough for young ladies. I am glad, my dear, to see that you write so well, and hope that you mind your pen, your book, and your needle, for they are all necessary. Your books will give you knowledge, and make you respected, and your needle will find you useful employment when you do not care to read. When you are a little older, I hope you will be very diligent in learning arithmetick; and, above all, that through your whole life, you will carefully say your prayers, and read your Bible.-I am, my dear,

"Your most humble Servant,
SAM: JOHNSON."

"Bolt Court, Fleet Street,
May 10th, 1784."

EPITAPH IN KENDAL CHURCH.
Here lyeth the Body of Mr. RAULPH TIRER,
Late Vicar of Kendal, Batcheler of Divinity,

Who died the 4th day of June, 1627.
London bred me, Westminster fed me,
Cambridge sped me, my sister wed me,
Study taught me, Living saught me,
Learning brought me, Kendal caught me,
Labour press'd me, sickness distresst me,
Death oppresst me, grave possesst me,
GOD first gave me, Christ did save me,

Earth did crave me, and heaven would have me.

THE custom of burying bodies in churches is said to have been first sanctioned by Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury, A. D. 758, having been prohibited by Augustine, the first Archbishop of that church, who had decreed that no corpse, either of prince or prelate, should be buried within the walls of a city; but only in the suburbs thereof; and that only in the porch of a church, not in the body.FULLER.

HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE.

THE daily uninterrupted possession of privileges and enjoyments, even of the highest order, has ever had a tendency to cause their real value to be overlooked. We, who, through God's blessing have full and unrestrained access to the hearing and reading of the Holy Scriptures, can but imperfectly estimate the evils resulting from the want of them. Accustomed from our childhood to see the Bible in every-day familiar use, we appear to take it for granted that such was the case always, and in every place. We little dream, that our forefathers obtained this privilege with the greatest difficulty, and preserved it not without a struggle. So that it may be useful, as well as interesting, to submit to general readers a brief account of the several English versions of the Bible, which have appeared from time to time, and more especially of our present authorized translation.

Writers of unquestionable authority assert, that from the very earliest periods of the church, the Holy Scriptures have been found in the language of almost every Christian nation. This privilege and advantage they continued to enjoy unmolested; until that a new power arose in the western world, claiming unheard-of dominion over men's minds and bodies, and the court of Rome perceived that nothing was more fatal to her assumptions of universal supremacy, than a general and free perusal of the Holy Volume of the Word of God. That which she long had wished, at length she dared to do; and at a synod holden at Toulouse in France, in the year 1228, the circulation of the Scriptures was for the first time forbidden. The immediate cause of this edict was the circumstance that the Waldenses in the Valleys of Piedmont had dared to oppose the Pope's pretensions, and to assert that the BIBLE was the rule of Christian Faith, and as such, ought to be free and open to persons of every class. This synod, however, contented itself with forbidding laymen to possess the books either of the Old or of the New Testament.

In this, our country of England, the Saxons, its former masters, are known to have possessed a translation of the Scriptures in their own language. A copy of the Gospels of this version is remaining in manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The historian, the Venerable Bede, who flourished in the seventh century, is said to have translated the entire Bible; and King Alfred is reported to have done the same thing; though the greater part of these, his holy labours, have not survived to our times.

From the time when the religious orders multiplied in England, the friars were ever found most vehement in forbidding the use and knowledge of the Scriptures; probably, not only in obedience to the orders received from their superiors at Rome, but likewise, as historians assert, from a wish to conceal their own utter ignorance of them, and general want of learning on every subject. There were, however, some noble exceptions.

During the reign of Edward the Third, about the year 1340, Richard Hampole, an Augustinian monk, translated the Psalter into the English of that day. In the same king's reign, and that of his next successor, flourished the renowned John Wicliffe, who was educated at Oxford, being a fellow of Merton College, and afterwards Master of Baliol; at a later period he became Rector of Lutterworth in Leices

tershire.

Wicliffe translated afresh the whole Bible, about the year 1380. But this praiseworthy work did not escape without violent opposition raised against it. About twenty years after its appearance, the priests attempted to suppress it; and actually