1821.]

for comparative cold. If heat be active, buoyance and cold are passive rest.

How admirable! that an extraordinary degree of heat in the Sun should, by exhausting an extraordinary quantity of water in the form of steam, from a Comet, drive that Comet farther off to bring more the next time, and to return in a more direct line, and vice versa, extending aud contracting systems, in proportion to the existing powers of their centres !

Masses, of the nature and consistence of Comets, unseen by us, may frequently be dissipated before they reach the orbits of the planets, and have they had solid nuclei, these nuclei may fall by gravitation on the planets, and be called meteoric stones, and yet more probably they may fall on satellites, they having no diurnal rotation to throw them off; and such stones may have got a scorching from the Sun, as those which are suspected to be such, appear to have had.

After creation, nature appears to be incessantly changing forms and appearances; even stars appear, and afterwards disappear to our eyes.

In 1752, a new star appeared in Cassiopiea, as large and as bright as any fixed star from the first of its appearance, continuing so for a month; and then gradually decreasing in light, disappeared, after having been seen during sixteen months. There are fixed stars apparently enveloped in haze, yet visible through it.

The star once visible in Cassiopiea, I shall suppose to be enveloped in a haze, too dense to be penetrated by its rays, and consequently invisible to us; but that the star having experienced a temporary encrease of electric ignition, its equatorial exody* (like the Sun's atmosphere called also zodiacal light) suddenly penetrated through, and cut the haze in two, driving the parts towards the poles; which parts, by degrees, again returning, resuffused the star, and again hid its light from us yet, leaving it sufficiently ig nited, to sustain itself in its place; where it may still have a system, as wide as the orbit of Saturn, and outwards of which, in lieu of a ring as round as Saturn, it may have a chaotic mist around it; which, if not surrounding or involving the whole region, may be at least broad enough to hide the fixed star completely from our view. But as Saturn's ring is not at the outskirts of his little system (all his moous being without it), so a ring around a fixed star may be within the orbits of all its planets. Saturn's ring sometimes renders a stripe all across him invisible from the Sun, and the Sun invisible there for a time. Had that ring been much broader, Saturn might never have seen the Sun,

* If I may be permitted to form a word.

551

and yet he might have rolled, and revolved, and had his satellites illuminated, and had reflected light from them, and from the ring; which latter light would have been extremely great, had the ring been as much broader on the inside as on the out.

Other stars have appeared and disappeared at regular intervals of time, increasing and decreasing; both gradually. Such stars may have a dense chaotic ring, or even a material one about them; which, by circumvolving on them, as on a centre, as Saturn's ring does on him, and by having their planes of orbit lying at small angles to our view, the star may be visible to us only during certain parts of the circumvolution of the ring. And such rings may some of them be double, and divided vertically, as Saturn's is the contrary way, and then the central star will only be visible to us, while the opening between the rings passes between the star and our view; and although double, the two parts may not necessarily be at equal distances from the centre; so that should they, or either of them, become fractured, or divided across, each or either might run into a heap or heaps, by attraction, and become a planet or planets; ready stated at, or nearly at, orbit distance, and orbit velocity: as I have before hinted might be the case with Saturn's double ring, if broken, which might gather together again into one or two satellites.

A fixed star, hid from our view by such ring or rings, would be having the equator turned towards us; because such a ring would be of the nature of a planet, as Saturn's ring is accounted to be of the nature of a satellite; and the planes of the orbits of all planets and satellites must nearly coincide with the plane of their respective Sun's equator; for otherwise they could not revolve, but as Comets, which are (as such, that is, as not containing much terreous substance) propelled upwards by heat alone, without regard to the circumvolution of the centre of gravitation; they becoming, thereby, empowered to search the whole region round for moisture, or any remaining chaotic solution or congregation.

Of a broken ring, should its fragments not all reunite in one mass, but in many, one only would become a primary planet; others would become secondaries. Or, as might in probability happen, should the whole, or any of the parts of it be precipitated to the Sun, the larger might become permanent Comets, and the lesser be dissipated; because the quantity of their ice or water would not bear so long an exhaustion, although I assume, that these rings and Saturn's double ring and comets, and our Moon also, are composed of ice principally.

SELECT

KNOW'ST thou the vale where the silver-stream'd fountain [flows, Reflects the sweet image of Peace as it Where the pine-tree and birch at the foot of the mountain [rose? Conceal in its bosom the myrtle and Where the wood-thrush and blackbird in wild notes are wooing

The care that engrosses each mate's anxious breast;

And the ringdove and turtle so tenderly cooing, [blest!

Are grateful to Nature for beings so Know'st thou the cottage where innocent pleasure [shrine, Enlivens the circle round Virtue's fair Where the bright star of Hope sheds its ray without measure, [entwine? And Health and Contentment together 'Tis there I'd retire from the world's vain commotion, [lease:

troubled ocean

And calmly enjoy the sweet hope of reAs the fisher's frail bark on the storm[will cease. Views gladly the port where her dangers 'Tis there the fond dreams of my infancy [bright,

courting,

I'd trace the gay visions of Mem❜ry so And dwell on the scenes where so wantonly sporting, [delight. Have fled the swift minutes of boyish W. R. WHATton.

CONTENT.

WHATEVER sky may low'r above,

Howe'er we feel the arm of Jove,
To misery's last extent,
Where'er our devious footsteps tend,
Beneath whate'er of woe we bend,
Our anchor is Content.

With her, though lost, as Oceans roll,
And though the iron pierce the soul,

And sickness rack the veins : Though Heav'n its depths of wrath explore,

Its vial on our heads to pour,

Content the mind sustains.

What though we find all have deceit,
And she we love our prospect cheat,

And Friends turn out unkind;
Though desolation roam the heart,
And sadness" Cowes our better part,"
It smiles Content of mind.

POETRY.

What though we bite the latest crust,
Though agoniz'd we grind the dust,
And kindred ties are rent;
Though death amid revilings come;
Yet sickness, famine, strife, the tomb,
And chains-confess Content.
In all my wand'rings o'er the Pole,
In all th' excursions of my soul,

Till health and hope were spent, The only draught I found on earth, To temper grief, and hallow mirth, Was lovely, sweet Content.

INCONSISTENCY,

AS when you pull the charger's rein, You try to curb his fire in vain ;

C.

* An incorrect and imperfect copy of this poem having found its way into print some time since, we are induced to republish it at the desire of the fair authoress.Edit.

GENT. MAG. December, 1821.

533

So looks that rose, when morn's reviving ray [genial day. Unfolds the varied sweets of summer's

And why that sigh? and why that speaking tear?

Could Anua doubt her lover's long-tried truth?

Ah! no! she knew him gen'rous, kind, sincere ;

And, with the ardour of confiding youth, Return'd his love; nor vainly strove to hide [so dear a guide.

Her cherish'd hope, through life to own

Yes, he was dear: yet still the tear would flow;

And struggling sighs would still her bosom heave.

Say, ye, whose breasts with kindred feelings glow,

Why, in love's brightest hour, did Anna grieve?

Say-for you best can paint th' obtrusive

[Dec.

When the hosts of Rebellion pour in like a flood, [with blood; And the dust of his garment is mingled Though legions on legions encircle him round, [his ground.

In the carnage of death let him still keep When the best and the bravest shall fall in his eyes, [arise. Let the fire of his bosom to vengeance As the tall mountain-oak let the Patriot stand, [from his hand.

And the blood-thirsty Traitor shall flee When the foes of his country before him shall fly, [through the sky, And the proud shout of triumph resounds Let him think on the praise that his King shall bestow, [brow. On the laurel of conquest encircling bis But if Death's mournful list his lov'd name [slain,

should contain, And the Patriot add to the heaps of the Sweet, sweet, are the tears Heaven's mercy shall shed, [head.

In the dew-drops of morn, on the Warrior's
Durham.
F. F.

FRANCE.

The Budget for the year 1822 was laid before the Chamber of Deputies on the 27th of November by the Minister of Finance; who stated, that the estimates for 1822 would be nearly 890 millions of francs, which is an excess over this year of seven millions; but the Ways and Means were more than commensurate to it.

On the 14th inst. his Most Christian Majesty signed an Ordinance, appointing a new Ministry. M. Peyronnet, a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, is made Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals; Viscount Montmorency, Minister for Foreign Affairs; the Duke of Belluno (Marshal Victor), Minister at War; M. Corbiere, a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Minister of the Interior; the Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre, Minister of Marine; and M. de Villele, a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Minister of

Finance.

The first public act of the new French Ministry has been a communication, signed by the King, to the Chamber of Deputies, announcing that the Bill for continuing the odious Censorship for five years, has been withdrawn.

All the late French Ministers, with the exception of M. de Richelieu, have received marks of the royal favour-some have been raised to the Peerage, and all, with the exception we have stated, have been appointed Ministers of State and Members of the Privy Council.

SPAIN.

The accounts from Spain represent affairs there becoming serious. The cities of Cadiz and Seville refused to acknowledge, or even admit within the walls of those cities, the military Commandants sent down by the Government. An address from the former city directed to the Cortes, signed by the Political Prefect Jauregny, and all the constituted authorities of the place, is couched in terms of the most reproachful bitterness, and levelled substantially at the King himself. At Seville, and throughout Andalusia generally, there is said to prevail a more than common ferment.-The Cadiz address, and the defiance of the King's orders therein manifested, became the subject of a message from Ferdinand to the Cortes on the 25th ult. in which he called on them to co-operate with energy, in concert with his Government,

in taking steps that the prerogatives of the Crown, as well as public liberty, might be preserved inviolate. The Cortes assured the King of their co-operation. The disposition of the North-west of Spain is no less hostile to Ministers than that of Andalusia. An address from Corunna, breathing language equally violent, is given in the French papers.

Letters from Barcelona confirm the accounts of the fever in that town having entirely disappeared.

PORTUGAL.

Extract of a letter from Lisbon dated December 9.-"The Pernambuconians have declared themselves independent. A Vessel arrived in the Tagus with upwards of 100 passengers, who had escaped from that province; every European was about to embark. I was present to-day at the patriarchal Chapel: the King and his nobility were present; it was a very imposing spectacle. His Majesty appeared exceedingly dejected and cast down. sassination and robbery are become very frequent. The report to the Intendant of Police, for the last ten weeks, amounted to 384 assassinations in Portugal, It is most unsafe to go out after dark. We are on the eve of some great change. The King was without money to pay his daily expences the other day; with difficulty some was procured for his present subsis

tence.

GERMANY.

As

Letters from the Tyrol announce an extraordinary event, which was productive of melancholy consequences:-" A high mountain in the Pustesthal (between the former bishopric of Brixen and Carinthia) suddenly gave way, and was precipitated upon the hamlet of Muda. The whole valley of Muda was in an instant covered with earth, rocks, and forests. Several small lakes had existed on this mountain, and now a new one has been formed. It is not yet known what number of lives have been lost through this catastrophe." TURKEY, &c.

The invasion of Turkey by the Persians is confirmed. They have entered Wan and Topralkali, in Armenia; and are believed to have taken Bagdad. They are besieging Kars and Erzetum, the only defences of the empire on that side. It is stated, in an article from Constantinople, that the ambassadors of the European Powers, without exception, have for some