not hope to be trusted when his character | have watched the downcast look of is fully discovered. If a man's reputa- "Brocky the lawyer," in his age, I have tion for probity and honesty be once often said to myself, "He is oppressed lost, however long his head may be, he by the voice of conscience." That was cannot recover it. Such was the experi- wise counsel which the great apostle of ence of "Brocky the lawyer." The man the Gentiles gave to the Roman converts, with a glazed hat finally came for the and deserves to be written in letters of last time, and tripped him up. He could gold on the walls of every Christian's no longer stand his ground against him: dwelling "Provide things honest in he was, after much apparent prosperity, the sight of all men," Rom. xii. 17. sold out and ruined. That is, all who bear the name of Christians should study and take care to do all that is amiable and creditable, and recommend religion to all with whom they may converse. A Christian should not only be a Christian in name, but in reality,-in deed and in truth; otherwise, better had it been for him had he been born in a land where the light of Christianity has never shone, and where the name of Christian is unknown. It will be more tolerable for those who worship their gods of wood, or stone, or brass; or those whose bones and sinews are crushed under the huge rolling wheels of the car of Juggernaut, in the day of judgment, than for him. "That servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required," Luke xii. 47, 48. Honesty is the best policy." As an old writer remarks, "it is the best security in nature. It does business without expense, trouble, or delay. It takes no advantage of mortality, of the want of writings, of the ambiguity of words, or the omission of forms." The world generally admires it, if it is not generally practised. It was curious to hear the opinions of "Brocky the lawyer's" conduct after his downfall. Even those who had admired his "long head," pronounced him a knave; and there were some who denounced him as a cheat. He even sunk many fathoms, if the expression may be used, in his own estimation. "Oh, sir!" remarked "Brocky the lawyer," to the writer of this article, "had I been honest in all my dealings, what a world of sorrow should I have escaped! My dishonest practices rise up in judgment against me. Better had it been for me if I had contented myself with a little, gained by honest industry, than have sought wealth by overreaching the world. I have been a selfdeceiver: I have overreached others, but in doing so have sadly overreached myself. My sin has found me out." And thus will the sin of dishonesty ever find out those who practise it. It procures for a man misery both in this world and the next. Even though the world should not discover it, conscience will; and conscience is a bold accuser of guilt. If conscience, indeed, be not our ruler, it will be our tormentor; for whatever faculty of the soul or member of the body commits sin, the guilt of it runs into the conscience, and settles there, as the impurities of a city pass into the common sewer. There is a kind of elastic power in it that will bear itself up, if it be innocent, whatever reproach may be cast upon it; but if it be guilty, it will rise up to condemn the sinner-and its voice is as the voice of thunder: however deaf the man may be whom it accuses, it must and will be heard. As I THE SKY. E. F. THE atmosphere immediately incumbent upon the earth has probably the power of absorbing and retaining more of the blue rays of light than that at greater altitudes; and thus, when we cast our eyes on high, we look through a volume of the densest air, replete with blue light; and so likewise, if we look abroad over an extensive tract of country, the horizon of which is formed by distant hills, they appear blue, or in other words, they partake of the colour of the medium through which they are viewed; if we journey to them, their blue colour gradually vanishes, and at length their ordinary colours appear; and now, looking from the hills towards the spot from whence we journeyed, it in turn appears blue. "The ridge called 'The Blue Mountains,' in Australia, another of the same name in America, and many others else where, are not really blue, for they possess all the diversity of scenery which their climates can give; but to the eye which first discovered them, bent on them generally from a distance, they all at first appeared blue, and they have retained the name." The air contained in a spacious hall or room is too small in volume to affect the eye with an impression of blue colour, and all objects appear of their natural tint; the same as an alabaster figure will appear beautifully white when viewed through a thin glass shade, but will gradually appear green, upon being covered with three or four additional shades, although they are of equal thickness and transparency; and if several more be employed, the vase will at length become invisible. The red appearance of the evening and morning sky, so popularly known as indicative of fair and foul weather, was chosen by the Saviour of mankind, as the medium of a reproof, similar in its force and tendency to that which has already engaged our attention, in humbly endeavouring to present its philosophical interpretation. "When it is evening ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the sky is red and lowering." The astronomer proves, that in consequence of the refractive or light-bending power of the atmosphere, the sun is visible for a considerable time after actual sunset, and also before actual sunrise; the chemist ascertains the fact, that at actual sunset, the surface of the earth radiates heat, and the watery vapour, present throughout a vast height of the atmosphere, immediately enters into a state of incipient condensation; he therefore presumes the glow of light that so often blushes in the sky during a summer or autumnal sunset, may depend upon the vesicular vapour reflecting the red rays more powerfully than the others, for he discovers, that if light be transmitted through steam mingled with air-and therefore on the verge of condensationthat it assumes a deep orange or red colour. "The red colour of the sky at sunset is indicative of fine weather; for although watery vapour is present in the air, it is probably only on the verge of incipient condensation, and not sufficiently condensed to form rain-clouds; and this slowly progressive transition of vast volumes of the air through the tempera ture of the dew-point can only occur in serene weather at sunset, and not at sunrise." “The red and lowering appearance of the morning sky, which indicates foul weather, probably depends upon such an excess of vapour being present in the whole atmosphere, that clouds are actually forming in the higher regions, contrary to the direct tendency of the rising sun to dissipate them; they accordingly reflect the red rays of light abundantly, and are considered as announcing a speedy precipitation of rain.” The "In the morning, in fine weather, the strata of the air near the surface of the earth alone, and in the lowest and most sheltered spots, are in a state of absolute dampness; the more elevated regions are comparatively free from humidity, and the morning light is grey. vapours which, during the reversion of the process, might probably reflect the red rays, are not elevated until the action of the sun upon the surface of the earth has continued long enough to impart a sensible warmth, by which time the moment of sunrise is past, and the sun has risen above the horizontal vapours." The close observance of natural phenomena by our ancestors gave rise to many sayings and proverbs, of which several have been presented; and we find another concerning the appearance of the skies that we have just considered: "An evening red, and morning grey, The "rainbow," that so frequently adorns and gladdens the clouded, watery heavens, in full display of gorgeous coloured zones of first-created light, as the token of the covenant between God and man, that the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh, must be esteemed as the most beautiful and magnificent atmospheric phenomenon that we behold throughout the four seasons of the revolving year. The rainbow invariably appears in that part of the heavens which during the day is directly opposite to the sun, and whilst rain is falling between the dark clouds in one quarter, and the solar beams in the other; these, under most circumstances, impinging upon pellucid drops of water, will either directly pass through them in right lines, or if refracted from such course, they will, upon emerging from the drops, immediately resume it, and pass onward as colourless light. sical truth appearing in plain homely guise: "A rainbow in the morning is the shepherd's warning, A rainbow at night is the shepherd's delight." Under certain natural conditions, which, merely to facilitate our inquiry, may for the moment be called extraordinary, the solar rays impinging upon drops of "This old proverb is generally correct, water will not only pass through them, clouds containing or depositing the rain as a rainbow can only occur when the or be simply refracted, as above, but upon emerging from the drops, a portion are opposite to the sun; and in the evenof the rays will continue to pass onward ing the rainbow is in the east, and in the as colourless light after ordinary refrac-morning in the west; and as our heavy tion; whilst another portion deviates from such path, and is further refracted, or broken, into seven extraordinarycoloured rays, or prismatic rays. This extraordinary or coloured refraction or analysis of solar light is frequently presented by drops of morning dew, but in greater perfection by drops of rain, in falling through the atmosphere, between a dark cloud and the brilliant sun, the rays of which entering and emerging from successive drops are refracted into violet light, which departs furthest from the path that the unaltered rays would have pursued, and into red light, which keeps nearest the path that the unaltered rays would have pursued; thus the external and the internal fringes of the rainbow are formed, and they include within their zones the remaining coloured rays in the order of their inherent refrangibility, the indigo, blue, and green being nearest the violet, whilst the yellow and orange are nearest the red; thus presenting a perfect rainbow of the seven colours of analysed light. Or in more technical terms; the violet, indigo, blue, and green rays are the most refrangible, whilst the yellow, orange, and red are the least refrangible rays of solar light. The rainbow, therefore, is said to present a magnificent natural example of its analysis; for the coloured rays cannot be divided into others. When a single and perfect rainbow appears, its interior fringe is red, and its exterior fringe is violet; but a "double rainbow" is most frequent-a phenomenon, that is, of one bow within another; and then not only are the colours of the inner and smaller, or primary bow, more vivid than those of the outer and larger, or secondary bow, but they are exactly in the reverse order, the interior fringe of the inner bow being violet, and its exterior fringe being red. The following ancient and popular proverb concerning the rainbow affords one more example of a refined phy rains in this climate are usually brought by the westerly wind, a rainbow in the the road by the wind to us; whereas the rainbow in the east proves that the rain in the clouds is passing from us. west indicates that the bad weather is on "As an indication of wet weather approaching, nothing is more certain than a halo round the moon, which is produced by the precipitated water; and clouds, and consequently the more ready the larger the circle, the nearer the to fall." All things demand equal attention from him who truly loves and desires knowledge; thus the foregoing explanation of the homely proverb emanated from the most enlightened philosopher that ever devoted his talents to the fasci nating science of chemistry.-Griffiths. CHRISTIAN ASSURANCE. THERE are a number of persons among professing Christians whose minds are almost ever dwelling on certain high points of doctrine, sought chiefly in the book of God's eternal decrees. And it is on these doctrines that they found, in some manner, an absolute assurance of their being in Christ, in the Divine favour, children of God, and therefore as sure of heaven as if they were there. Now God forbid that, with the New Testament before us, and a multitude of pious examples, we should deny, or for an instant doubt, that there is a firm and rational assurance of salvation attainable in this life; or that any one of us should not earnestly seek to attain it. But how attained?—whereon founded? Do the Scriptures and reason authorize any other principle or process than this, namely, that a man do most carefully ascertain what it is that, according to the Divine word, constitutes a Christian; and then, make a most faithful investigation into the state of his soul and his life, to ascertain whether that which constitutes a Christian be actually there; and if it be, to take the assurance, and bless God for the evidence; and bless him for having wrought in them this preternatural character? But the persons we speak of refuse to have the matter placed on this ground. Not wholly indeed, perhaps, for they will somewhat equivocate; but in substance they refuse it, and will maintain their assurance independently of it. And they describe it nearly as if it had come to them by a distinct, positive, and formal revelation from heaven; setting aside all need of any such rule of evidence as we have spoken of. We are not ignorant, that men of eminent piety and holiness have often received a kind of blissful illapses and irradiations into their souls, bearing to them (we may call it) a mystical testimony, to confirm and animate into triumph the assurance founded on evidence. And, questionless, elevated and humble piety, in communion with God, will often receive such rays from his countenance. But these devout spirits have been careful not to substitute such confirmatory impressions for the tangible basis of evidence on which the question rested. They recurred to this in their repeated self-examinations and self-judgments; and earnestly insisted on it in their religious instructions. And as to the practical influence of this their happy assurance; it has both served to rectify, still more highly, their conscience and moral principles, and to repress any disposition to a self-righteous arrogance toward persons less favoured in point of religious confidence. Whereas, some such persons as we are referring to, betray that their assurance, which takes its stand on so lofty a position, independent of a faithful estimate of the heart and life, has an unsanctifying effect; it slackens and narrows the force and compass of the jurisdiction of conscience; and, especially, cherishes in them the spirit of the text: "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou." They can look with pride, not with pious gratitude, from a high and privileged condition, on those who are suffering doubts and solicitude respecting their state toward God and a future world.-Foster. THE ONLY WORD OF GOD. THAT traditions of men should be obtruded unto us for articles of religion, and admitted for parts of God's worship; or that any traditions should be accepted for parcels of God's word, beside the Holy Scriptures, and such doctrines as are either expressly therein contained, or by sound inference may be deduced from thence, I think we have reason to gainsay, as long as for the first we have this direct sentence from God himself, Matt. xv. 9: "In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men ;" and for the second, the express warrant of the apostle, 2 Tim. iii. 15, 17, testifying of the Holy Scriptures, not only that they are able to make us wise unto salvation, which they would not be able to do if they did not contain all things necessary to salvation; but also, that by them the man of God (that is, the minister of God's word, unto whom it appertaineth to declare all the counsel of God,) may be perfectly instructed to every good work; which could not be if the Scriptures did not contain all the counsel of God which was fit for him to learn, or if there were any other word of God which he were bound to teach, that should not be contained within the limits of the book of God."-Archbishop Usher. CARBONIC ACID IN ROOMS. Ir is commonly supposed that the carbonic acid resulting from burning charcoal, in a brasier remains as a heavy stratum of vapour upon the floor of the grotto del cane, and that no danger is to be apprehended in entering the apartment if a person stand upright; but this notion is seriously erroneous, as the chemist can prove. In fact, as carbonic acid is formed during the combustion of charcoal, it is materially lighter than air, because it is of an exceedingly high temperature, or in other words, rarefied by the heat; and accordingly it ascends in virtue of this thermal levity, and blends uniformly with the air of the apartment, whilst another curious action is simultaneously ensuing; namely, the charcoal, in order to burn and to continue burning, must have oxygen; it takes this from the air to form carbonic acid, but leaves the nitrogen, which is equally mephitic, so that in the course of a very short time, if no egress be permitted for these substances so inimical to life, the entire volume of the air becomes thoroughly vitiated, and a person entering the apartment would be suffocated.-The Builder. THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER. THE largest white-bill woodpecker of Catesby, ivory-billed woodpecker and large log-cock of the Anglo-Americans, is thus described :-Black, with a gloss of green. Fore part of the head black, the rest of the crest crimson, with some white at the base. A stripe of white proceeding from a little below the eye, down each side of the neck, and along the back, (where the two are about an inch apart,) nearly to the rump. Tail black, tapering from the two exterior feathers, which are three inches shorter than the middle ones; the feathers concave below. Legs lead colour. Bill an inch broad at the base, of the colour and consistence of ivory, and channeled. Tongue also white. Iris vivid yellow. Length about twenty inches; alar extent about thirty inches. This bird is found in Brazil, Mexico, and the Southern States, is seldom seen to the north of Virginia, and but rarely in that state. Catesby says that these birds subsist chiefly on ants, wood-worms, and other insects, which they hew out of rotten trees, nature having so formed their bills that in an hour or two they will raise a bushel of chips, for which the Spaniards call them carpenteros. He adds, that their bills are much valued by the Canada Indians, who make coronets of them for their princes and great warriors, by fixing them round a wreath, with their points outward. The northern Indians, he tells us, having none of these birds in their cold country, purchase them of the |