various opinions would almost necessarily arise on so curious a subject; but the most important use that was made of the discovery was the determination of a new fact relative to the sun itself-its rotation on its own axis, together with the time in which that rotation is performed.

After carefully watching their motion across the sun's disc, from east to west, it was ascertained that its revolution about its axis in a contrary direction is performed in 25 days 9 hours 56 minutes; and its apparent revolution, owing to the earth's motion at the same time in her orbit, in 27 days 7 hours and 37 minutes. Another fact determined by these inquiries was the inclination of the sun's axis, which was found to be 7 degrees 20 minutes towards the ecliptic. The solar spots are never seen towards the poles of that luminary, but are confined within a zone on both sides of its equator. There are also bright spots, as well as dark ones, observable on the body of the sun; the former are termed faculæ, and the latter macula; but the origin, nature, and uses of both are unknown.

From the invention of telescopes to the present time, such spots have been frequently observed on the face of the sun, sometimes only a few together, sometimes one alone. These spots, as they vary in number, vary considerably in size; sometimes they are so small as to be scarcely perceptible, and at others so large as to exceed the whole earth in magnitude; but they are rarely to be distinguished by the naked eye. Upon the nature of these spots, and the relation they bear to the sun, much speculation has been employed. Some have supposed that, since they undergo various changes with regard to bulk, figure, and density, they must be formed anew from time to time, and again dissolved about the sun; others that they are a kind of solar clouds, and that consequently the sun must have an atmosphere. Those who believe the sun to be an immense body of fire, in a state of constant fusion, suppose that the spots are the eminences of large masses of opaque matter, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, which, by the irregular agitation of the fluids, sometimes swim upon

the surface, and at other times sink and disappear. Many of the spots, it is observed, appear to diminish daily in size, and their consuming edges are of peculiar brightness. Dr. Herschel viewed the subject differently. He supposed that the sun is an opaque and solid body, having mountains and valleys like our earth, but larger, in about the same proportion as the sun's magnitude exceeds that of the earth; that it is surrounded by a lucid atmosphere, by the decomposition of which light is emitted; that this atmosphere is sometimes so transparent, in several places, as to allow the body of the sun to be seen through it; that a dark spot in the sun is a part of its surface thus perceived, and that faculæ, or bright spots, are, in general, more copious mixtures of such fluids as decompose each other. In other words, that some at least of the dark spots are nothing but the projection of the solar mountains above the surface of the shining fluid, and that the bright spots are elevated parts of the sun on which the luminous matter is condensed. He supposes also that the rays of the sun are not hot in themselves, but only produce heat by acting upon other substances; and, to complete the analogy between the sun and the other parts of the solar system, that it is itself a planet-strictly speaking, the only primary one in our system. He ventures, in the last place, to think it probable that the sun is even furnished with inhabitants, whose organs are adapted to the peculiar circumstances of that vast globe.

A singular appearance is sometimes observed to attend the sun at certain seasons of the year, particularly in the beginning of March, a short time before sunrise or after sunset. It is called the zodiacal light. It is of a whitish colour, but so extremely faint and rare that the stars are visible through it. In figure, this light resembles a cone, of which the base is turned towards the sun, while the top of it reaches from 45 to 125 degrees above him. In the torrid zone this light is almost constantly visible. The cause of it is by no means satisfactorily ascertained, though it is probably occasioned by some peculiarity in the state of the atmosphere.

THE SATURDAY HALF HOLIDAY.

WILLIS.

I love to look on a scene like this,

Of wild and careless play,

And persuade myself that I am not old, locks are not yet grey;

And my

For it stirs the blood in an old man's heart,
And it makes his pulses fly,

To catch the thrill of a happy voice,
And the light of a pleasant eye.

I have walked the earth for fourscore years;
And they say that I am old;

And my heart is ripe for the reaper, Death,
And my years are well-nigh told.

It is very true; it is very true!

I'm old, and " I 'bide my time;"

But my heart will leap at a scene like this,
And I half renew my prime.

Play on, play on! I am with you there,
In the midst of your merry ring;
I can feel the thrill of the daring jump,
And the rush of the breathless swing.
I hide with you in the fragrant hay,

And I whoop the smothered call,
And my feet slip on the reedy floor,
And I care not for the fall.

I am willing to die when my time shall come, And I shall be glad to go;

For the world, at best, is a weary place,

And my pulse is getting low;

But the grave is dark, and the heart will fail

On treading its gloomy way;

And it wiles my heart from its dreariness,
To see the young so gay.

crows'-nest ...a look-out place | ve-lo-ci-ty.

at the mast head of a whaler

pre-served' ......kept, observed

tran'-quil

sig'-nalled

withstand

.meet with and

speed, quickness

en count'-er

still, quiet

se-ver-1-ty

..made known

vig'-or-ous.

his wishes by a sign sculled...worked forward by an oar over the stern of the boat es'-tim-a-ted...valued, reckoned

just'-i-fy

warrant

e-lapsed' ..passed by, come to
an end

ed'-dy ..a swirl in the water
cau'-tion
.care, prudence
blub'-ber...the thick fat of the
whale

sim-ul-ta'-ne-ous-ly ... at the

same moment

....extreme rigour

powerful, strong

ur-gen-cy pressing impor

......

tunity re-tard'-ed ...delayed, kept back anx-i'-e-ty......solicitude, great

desire im'-pet-us

force

moor-ing .....tying, securing in-dif'-fer-ence carelessness char'-act-er-iz-es... ..marks,

distinguishes

in-ter-cept'-ed............cut off re-sist'-ed...... withstood, strove against

harpoons

in-flict'-ed.....

.....made by the

ex-pend'-ed

used up

des-patched'.

..put an end to,

killed tra'-versed

.crossed

tra-cing...following, marking out
e-merge..
...come out from under
fract'-ures cracks, fissures
a-pert-ures......holes, openings

dis-cern'-ing.........seeing, per- ul'-tim-ate-ly ...at last, finally con-cus'-sion...dashing together in-ev-it-a-bly......unavoidably | ac-cel'-er-ate ... hasten, quicken

ceiving

The Endeavour, whaler from Aberdeen, had been in the northern seas for some time in search of whales, when one day the master, who was in the crow's-nest, gave a signal to those on deck that a whale was in sight. Two crews immediately leaped into their boats, which in less than a minute were lowered into the water, and were off in pursuit; and, in consequence of several more whales being discovered, the first were speedily followed by two other boats to support and assist them. The boats first despatched rowed for a large ice-field, near to which the animal had been seen, every man keeping an anxious look out for its re-appearance, which, fortunately for the success of the chase, took place about a quarter of a mile ahead. Great silence being preserved the weather being so tranquil at the time that there was danger lest the noise of the oars, however skilfully and smoothly pulled, would alarm the whale the steerer signalled to the crew to rest on them, while he sculled the boat up to the animal by means of the oar always used, on these occasions, to steer with, instead of a rudder. But the distance had been under-estimated, and before the boat was near enough to justify the harpooner in casting his weapon, the short period of time which the whale remains at the surface elapsed, and the animal again disappeared; but from the direction in which it was lying, and from the eddy raised as it glided beneath, the crew were enabled to follow without losing much way. They rowed, however, full two miles, before the whale rose to the surface; and when it did so, it was found to be nearly at equal distances between three of the boats, two of which had now joined the first in the pursuit of this, the largest of those whales which had been seen from the nest. All, eager in the chase, approached with like caution; and when one of them succeeded in running close upon the creature, the two others were not thirty yards from it.