gaudy silks, and cover themselves with the most odoriferous perfumes. Another very peculiar distinction is, that they permit their finger nails to grow very long, so that they shall not be suspected of performing any labour. Their nails grow sometimes to the enormous length of several inches, and they are careful to protect them with sheaths made of bamboo. They pride themselves much in exhibiting small feet; yet the painful and unnatural process which they undergo to render them small, so completely cripples them, that they can scarcely walk otherwise than on their heels. A description of the process and its origin, we have before given on page 153. A widowed lady of rank never marries a second time. When a female is raised to the rank of empress, the emperour makes an appeal to mother earth, the ancestors and ancient sages. "Her majesty goes out at the door of compassion to the outside of the gates of perpetual fidelity; the musick strikes up, she performs some courtesies, bows, and receives the high dignity of the mother of the country." Her majesty, however, together with the princesses, and her kindred, become mere machines, entirely subservient to the pleasure of the great emperour. Hunting the Wild Hog in Trinidad. The sport attended with the greatest interest and excitement in Trinidad is the chase of the piccari or wild-hog, known in the island as the quainc. A species of these that run in large droves, denominated by the Spaniards as puercos bravos, are in no small degree formidable. Instead of trying to escape by flight, they turn to attack the hunter and his dogs: the lat ter are soon torn to pieces if they do not effect a speedy retreat. In this case, the hunter immediately climbs some tree with low branches, just high enough to protect his legs from the tusks of his swinish opponents; and from this position, with lance or gun, he kills as many as are within reach. Should the herd, much enraged, persevere in detaining him longer than agreeable in his safe position, he has only to shoot the leader (generally a large-sized boar, whose voice and signal are always obeyed by the rest of the herd), upon which the whole drove immediately run off. Simple as this sport may appear, much excitement and some dangor attend the pursuit. Cases have occurred where a hunter, from over-eagerness, or the breaking of the branch on which he is seated, has been precipitated to the ground, and torn to pieces by the enraged and voracious animals. When, however, a single hog or even two are run to bay by the dogs, the hardy sportsman, cutlass in hand, advances upon him, when the animal immediately makes a furious charge at him, but is stopped by an adroit blow from the cutlass, well laid on, over the snout a little below the eyes, which has the effect of stunning him, when he is easily disposed of by one or more cuts on the back or neck. Some degree of coolness and dexterity are necessary to the accomplishing this operation successfully, as, if not stopped effectually by the first blow being well laid on, and on the exact spot, the porcine foe lower extremities, to their great detriment, and perwill assuredly use his sharp tusks on the hunter's haps render him unable to walk home. Those accustomed to the sport seldom or never miss the first blow, which decides the victory. Life, and its End. Remember for what purpose you were born, and through the whole of life, look at its end; and consider, when that comes, in what you will put your trust? Not in the bubbles of worldly vanity; it will be broken: not in worldly pleasures; they will be gone: not in great connexions; they cannot serve you; not in wealth; you cannot carry it with you; not in rank; in the grave there is no distinction; not in the recollection of a life spent in a giddy conformity to the silly fashions of a thoughtless and wicked world; but in that of a life spent soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.-Bishop Watson. The sphere in which we move, and act, and understand is of a wider circumference to one creature than to another, according as we rise one above another, in the scale of existence; but the widest of these our spheres has its circumference.-Addison. Truth is the most powerful thing in the world, since fiction can only please by its resemblance to it.-Shaftesbury. MECHANICKS' INSTITUTE FAIR. The Mechanicks' Institute of the city of New York, was incorporated in 1833. Its object is the general improvement of that essential portion of our citizens, the mechanicks, and the encouragement of It numbers six or seven hunthe mechanick arts. dred members, has a very respectable library and reading room, to which the members have access at all times. Thus far it has met with gratifying success, and has exerted a highly beneficial influence upon the class it designs to improve. The first Fair of the Mechanicks' Institute was held at Castle Garden, from Sept. 29, to Oct. 3. It was highly gratifying to all the friends of the Insti tute, and satisfactory to the numerous visiters. Sev eral hundred entries were made, and a very great number and variety of articles exhibited. Many new and very useful inventions were exhibited, some of them of a very important character; a variety of fancy articles and ornaments, and some very beauti ful furniture. The whole presented to the visiter a real view of the present actual advanced state of the mechanick arts amongst us, and filled every American beholder with admiration at the triumphant ingenuity of his countrymen. UNDER the auspices of James the First, of Eng- to Prince Charles. In 1619, 150 women were sent land, who had granted letters patent to the London to Virginia, and sold to the planters for about 150 and Plymouth companies, for the purpose of founding a colony in North America, Christopher Newport, sailed from London on the 20th of December, 1606; and after a disastrous passage of four months, entered the James river, and made a settlement upon its banks about forty miles from the sea, and called it Jamestown. This was the first permanent settlement that was made by the English in Virginia, although previous attempts had been made. The company consisted of 105 persons, and very soon received an accession to their numbers, swelling the amount to 200. The most difficult man amongst them, was Captain John Smith, whose name, it will be recollected, is identified with that of Pocahontas, the Indian girl who saved him from the barbarity of Powhatan. In 1614, Captain Smith explored the country, and made a map of it, , which he presented VOL. III.-26 pounds of tobacco, each; tobacco being then valued" at three shillings the pound. Twenty negroes, were also sold to the colonists by the Dutch about the same time, whence may be dated the commencement of the slavetrade in this country. Virginia progressed, by no means rapidly or prosperously, under the various governours sent out by the British Crown. Their chief export was tobacco. None of the colonies suffered more than Virginia from the despotism of a royal government. In violation of chartered rights, the colony was divided into parts, and conveyed away by proprietary grants; not grants of woodlands and wildernesses, but of plantations that had long been cultivated under the encouragement of kings and charters. These oppressions produced a notable rebellion in Virginia, during which, great outrages were committed, and Jamestown was (201) burned. The civil war was commenced by Col. dug around the falls, however, so that a continuous Nathaniel Bacon, and terminated at his death. In boat navigation is secured for two hundred and twenty 1712, Virginia was divided into 49 parishes, and a miles. Richmond is a thriving town in point of clergyman allotted to each, with stated salary. In trade, and the means of general education are not 1713, Lt. Gov. Spottswood discovered the passage neglected. of the Appalachian mountains. Virginia was amongst the first of the colonies, that manifested that glorious spirit of resistance to the oppression and aggression of Great Britain, which wrought our independence. She was always forward in seconding the spirit and measures of her sister colonies against the common enemy, and met the demands of her country with laudable zeal and disinterested patriotism. The constitution of Virginia was adopted the next day after the Declaration of Independence, but has been recently revised and amended. Nine of the signers of the declaration, including its immortal author, were natives of Virginia, viz. :-Thomas Jefferson, John Penn, Richard H. Lee, Fr. Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, George Walton, George Wythe, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, jr. Virginia also produced George Washington, Patrick Henry, Arthur Lee, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Marshall. ASTRONOMY. ON ECLIPSES. Among all the extraordinary phenomena which nature displays in the motions of the heavenly bodies, none are more interestingly sublime or useful tha ECLIPSES. While viewing the movement of our sis ter satellite, the moon, as round our planet she revolves in silent majesty, we have an opportunity of observing "the order of heaven's first law," and of witnessing that order so exemplified before our eyes be the basest ingratitude in us to neglect it. Yet in the "grand planetarium of nature," that it would how many thousands of individuals are there who do not know, and perhaps have not the moans of being informed of the cause of these phenomena. To such deavour to lift the veil of superstition from their eyes, our pages are addressed, and should our humble enwaken a spirit of inquiry into "cause and effect," and a desire to trace" Nature up to Nature's God," we shall be amply compensated. They will no more feel superstitious fears during an eclipse, no more close up their wells for fear the water should be in In 1830, Virginia contained 1,211,405 inhabitants, of whom 469,759 were slaves. The principal jured by the supposed noxious influence of some derivers are the Potomack, Shenandoah, Rappahan-moniack power; but inquiring will know, and seeing nock, York, James, Appamattox, Elizabeth, Staun- will believe. We however trust, that in this enlightton, Kenhawa, Ohio, Sandy, and Monongahela. ened and scientifick age, there are few who are so far under the influence of errour. The Blue Ridge extends through the central part of the state, and there are other mountains in the state. Iron, lead, coal, limestone, and chalk, are found in abundance. The chief towns are Richmond, Norfolk, Petersburgh, Lynchburgh, Fredericksburgh, Winchester, Portsmouth, Williamsburgh, and Shepherdstown. The university of Virginia is established at Charlottesville, besides which there are several other colleges. is no deviation from the general course of nature, and Eclipses, then, are perfectly natural, that is, there are to be calculated upon with as much certainty as when striking a flint with a piece of iron, we expect and see a spark of fire; but they are not the less, wonderful; for though in each we see the second cause and the effect, (in the eclipse of the sun, the intervention of the moon between the sun and the earth, and consequent eclipse; and in the striking of the flint, the spark-produced by the friction melting an atom of the iron into liquid fire,)-still we do not see, but are left to wonder and admire, the First Cause; and, to a philosophick eye, the fire from the flint is as wonderful as the eclipse. Richmond, the largest city in the state, and the seat of government, has a population of 16,000, and is situated at the head of tide water on the James river. The town rises gradually from the river, and Eclipses are occasioned by one heavenly body with its many elegant brick houses, presents a fine intervening between the sun or source of light, and appearance. The publick buildings are a court-another heavenly body; and, as regards our earth, house, a state prison, an almshouse, a museum, eight churches, and the CAPITOL. We have presumed that the engraving would furnish the reader a better idea of this elegant structure, than any mere written description. It is appropriated chiefly to the purposes of the state, senate, and assembly. It stands on the highest ground in the city, and the views from its top are extensive and interesting. This city is one hundred and twenty miles from Washington, and one hundred and fifty from the mouth of the river. There are two bridges across the river at this place, and falls a short distance above. A canal has been are either solar or lunar eclipses. It is to be a solar · eclipse when the sun is eclipsed; and a lunar eclipse when the moon is eclipsed. For the sun to be eclipsed, the moon must be between the earth and sun, in a direct line, or within 17 degrees of the crosses the orbit of the earth. And for the moon nodes or points, where the moon in her course›› to be eclipsed, the earth must be between her and the sun, in a direct line, or she must be within 12 degrees of her nodes. In order to explain this more › fully to our readers, we have presented them with a of the sun, earth, and moon, during a total or partial; diagram of eclipses, showing the relative positions eclipse of the sun, and also during an eclipse of the moon, which we shall endeavour to describe. towards him but the moon being in a direct line | may be considered as fabulous, and not to be depended between the sun, and the point marked "total" on upon as little can be ascertained of the actual state the earth, intersects the sun's rays (as represented and position of our earth with respect to the heavenly by the lines passing to the sun), and prevents them bodies previous to the flood but by tradition and confalling on that part of the earth: consequently, an jecture, which are generally erroneous. The Indian observer standing there cannot see the sun; and the epoch of astronomy is said to be an eclipse, which sun is, as regards that part of the earth, totally took place so long as 3102 years before the Chriseclipsed. tian era: and Mr. Bailly, after considerable research and calculation, states, that a conjunction of the sun and moon did actually take place at that time. He also informs us, that the Indians at present calculate eclipses by the mean motion of the sun and moon, observed 5000 years since. An observer standing on that part of the earth represented by the point marked "partial," would only see a partial eclipse; the moon not being in a direct line between that part and the sun, but merely preventing a portion of his rays from falling upon the earth, the observer would be prevented from seeing that portion of the sun obscured by the moon, as represented by the two lines drawn from the point "partial" to the sun; and consequently, it would be only a partial eclipse. If the observer be supposed to be standing upon that part of the earth marked "no eclipse," and the moon remaining in the same position, he would see no eclipse, (although on the other parts of the earth marked "total" and "partial," the eclipse would be total and partial,) because the moon neither intersects the sun's rays, nor the observer's points of sight, as also shown by the lines running to the sun. Consequently the sun shines upon that part of the earth, the observer sees the whole of the sun, and there is no eclipse. If the line of the nodes, like the axis of the earth, was carried parallel to itself round the sun, there would be just half a year between the conjunction of the sun and nodes; but the nodes shift backwards, or contrary to the earth's annual motion 19 degrees every year, and therefore the same node comes round the sun nineteen days sooner every year than before. Consequently from the time the ascending node passes by the sun, as seen from the carth, it is only 173 days till the descending node passes by him again; so that we may be sure that whenever we have an eclipse above either node, we shall have another eclipse in 173 days. By means of eclipses, the most common observer may be convinced of some very important facts. By the eclipses of the moon and sun we know that the moon passes round our earth; that from the time she is passing through the shadow of our earth she inust be much sinaller than our globe, and that her light is not her own, but borrowed from the sun; were it not so, she would continue to shine when passing through the earth's shadow, nor would she appear dark when between us and the sun; but we find, in proportion as she proceeds away from within 17 degrees of the nodes, she keeps increasing till her full. Eclipses happen very frequently to the satellites of Jupiter, and are of great service in calculating the longitude of places on the earth. They also prove the motion of light not to be instantaneous, for when the earth is between the sun and Jupiter the eclipse of his satellites is found to be 8 minutes sooner than at other times; hence it takes 16 minutes of time to go through a space equal to the diameter of the earth's orbit, 180 millions of miles in length, and consequently the particles of light fly almost 200,000 miles every second of time. We have various accounts of ancient astronomical observations and eclipses, many of which, however, To the emperour Hong-ti, the grandson of Noah, the Chinese attribute the discovery of the Polestar, and the invention of the mariner's compass. Du Halde affirms, 36 eclipses are recorded by Confucius, who lived 551 years before Christ; and P. Trigault, who went to China in 1619, and read more than 100 volumes of their Annals, states, "It is certain that the Chinese began to make astronomical observations soon after the flood; that they have observed a great number of eclipses, in which they have noted down the hour, day, month, and year when they happened, but neither the duration nor the quantity; and that these eclipses have been made use of, for regulating their chronology." We are also informed by Du Halde, that in the province of Honan, and City Teng-foan, which is nearly in the middle of China, there is a tower, on the top of which it is said that Tchaon-cong, the most skilful astronomer that ever China produced, made his observations. He lived 1200 years before Ptolemy, or more than 1000 years before Christ, and passed whole nights in observing the celestial bodies, and arranging them into constellations. He had a very large brass table placed perfectly horizontal, on which was fixed a long upright plate of the same metal, both of which were divided into degrees, and by these he marked the meridian altitudes; and from them derived the times of the solstices, which were their principal epochs. The Abbe Grosier, in his description of China, states, that in Peking, there is an astronomical tribunal established, having an inspector, two presidents, one of them a Tartar, the other a Chinese, and a certain number of mandarins, who act as assessors; but for more than a century, the president has been an European, and two thirds of the pupils are maintained at the emperour's expense. The following ceremony takes place during eclipses :-A communication is made some months beforehand to the emperour, of the day and hour, as well as the direction in which it will appear. The eclipse is also calculated for the longitude or latitude of the capital city of every province in the celestial empire. These observations, and the diagram of the eclipse, are preserved by the tribunal of ceremonies, and another, called the Calao, by whom it is transmitted to the different provinces and cities of the empire. A few days before the eclipse, the tribunal causes to be fixed up on a publick place in large characters, the hour and minute when the eclipse will commence; the quarter of the heavens in which it will be visible, with other particulars. The mandarins are next summoned to appear in state at the Tribunal of Astronomy, and to wait there till the eclipse will take place; and as soon as that begins, they throw themselves on their knees, knock their |