never," was the answer, in a drawling, sepulchral tone. "Apparently, also, you never wash yourselves?" "Never, never," he said again; and certainly, as far as externals went, there was symptomatick evidence of his speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, though the party were subsequently assured by the Superiour that an under-garment (which or what garment could not be ascertained) was changed once a week, and that washing was not a prohibited luxury.

nexion with the establishment was a school, in which a few little children were taught the use of their mother-tongue by one of the order.

The following appropriate reflections conclude the account from which we have borrowed the foregoing details :-"My heart sickened as I turned away from the convent gate, and pondered on the melancholy mummery and strange unsuitable garb in which religion, the greatest boon of God to man, is so often arrayed! and by those too, whose duty and The Superiour himself was a Spaniard by birth, profession it more peculiarly is to invest it with atand, judging from his countenance and manner, a tractive rather than repellant qualities. And yet I second Loyola in character. He was enthusiastick parted from these monks with mingled feelings of reof course, but shrewd and intelligent, and full of gret and respect for men who, with such palpable energy, and it was evident he had within him where- sincerity, sacrificed so much of the present to the fuwithal to play a conspicuous part in the scene of ture; with all their faults I could not but respect life had he been brought up under more favourable them still."

circumstances.

From a copy of the rules which the travellers saw, it appeared that the hour of rising both in winter and summer was half-past one o'clock, and, on certain specified days, at midnight; to which is added the incomparable luxury of sitting bolt upright for several successive hours on a hard-bottomed bench. The diet consisted of roots and vegetables, rice, and a few similar articles, but never either of fish or eggs, and cheese and milk only on rare occasions. Three hours' daily labour was required of each member. The vow of obedience is so strictly enforced, that in no case is it even permitted to an innocent party to exculpate himself from any fault with which he may be unjustly charged. If indisposed, and required to take medicine, the sick man inust at once swallow the draught which is presented to him, as the exhibition of a preference for any par¡icular mendicament is considered a mark of sensual indulgence, and in point of sinfulness ranked with the desire to partake of meat, to vary the accustomed regimen of the order, or the hour at which it is usual to serve up their repasts. Notwithstanding the apparent absence of temptation which there must be in such a place, there is, nevertheless, a rule prohibiting any admission into the kitchen. The comforts of the fireside may be enjoyed under some restrictions and prohibitions. Shoes or slippers, however, must not be taken off for the purpose of quickening the circulation in a pair of frozen extremities, and the fire is to be kept at a respectful distance. All social Lies must be dissolved on entering the convent-walls, friendship being termed "a pagan virtue;" and in relation to social intercourse it is observed, one of the greatest obstacles to the judicious employment of The chief distinction between the ladies of rank in time is the habit of paying and receiving visits; and China and the inferiour women, is, that the former the rule which prohibits the brethren visiting each are allowed superiour privileges and are indulged in other in their respective cells is lauded as a peculiar certain peculiarities of dress. They are as much specimen of wisdom. The intellectual gratifica- certain peculiarities of dress.

tions, which it might be imagined would be liberally the slaves of their husbands and masters as the infeencouraged, are not less circumscribed than theriour grades, and cannot be said to be endowed with sphere of their bodily enjoyments. The library was any more intelligence. Their superiour privileges of the most meager description; but yet no book

could be obtained from it but with the sanction of consist in being allowed so many fans, moscheto the Superiour, whose liberality in this respect was switches, and toilets; sedan chairs, dresses, &c., not very freely exercised. The rules observe that according to their rank. When they go out, they nothing is more pernicious than the perusal of works walk without any covering on their heads, and are which are not inspired by the Holy Ghost, and that one of the deplorable abuses of the age is the practice obliged to be accompanied by a slave, who holds an of making use of profane works in the education of umbrella over her mistress' head, and attends to her youth. The only visible approach to utility in con- wants. They pride themselves in wearing the most

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.

gaudy silks, and cover themselves with the most odo- | as, if not stopped effectually by the first blow being riferous 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.

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.

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- The Mechanicks' Institute of the city of New ter are soon torn to pieces if they do not effect a York, was incorporated in 1833. Its object is the 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,

general improvement of that essential portion of our
citizens, the mechanicks, and the encouragement of
It numbers six or seven hun-
the 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 suc-
cess, 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 Institute, and satisfactory to the numerous visiters. Several 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

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 thai 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 in the "grand planetarium of nature," that it would be the basest ingratitude in us to neglect it. Yet how many thousands of individuals are there who do not know, and perhaps have not the means 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 injured by the supposed noxious influence of some demoniack power; but inquiring will know, and seeing will believe. We however trust, that in this enlightened and scientifick age, there are few who are so far under the influence of errour.

In 1830, Virginia contained 1,211,405 inhabitants, of whom 469,759 were slaves. The principal rivers are the Potomack, Shenandoah, Rappahannock, York, James, Appamattox, Elizabeth, Staunton, Kenhawa, Ohio, Sandy, and Monongahela. The Blue Ridge extends through the central part of the state, and there are other mountains in the state. is no deviation from the general course of nature, and Eclipses, then, are perfectly natural, that is, there Iron, lead, coal, limestone, and chalk, are found in are to be calculated upon with as much certainty as abundance. The chief towns are Richmond, Nor- when striking a flint with a piece of iron, we expect folk, Petersburgh, Lynchburgh, Fredericksburgh, and see a spark of fire; but they are not the less Winchester, Portsmouth, Williamsburgh, and Shep-cause and the effect, (in the eclipse of the sun, the wonderful; for though in each we see the second herdstown. The university of Virginia is established intervention of the moon between the sun and the at Charlottesville, besides which there are several other colleges.

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.

the earth casting a large umbra and penumbra behind it, in which the moon is enveloped, and consequently appears dark when viewed from the earth.

Fig. 1, represents the earth in her orbit, and re- Fig. 2, represents an eclipse of the moon, occasioned volving on her axis, with the sun shining full upon half by the coming in a direct line between the sun and of her globe-as shown by the part shaded light-moon, thereby preventing the sun shining upon her; and casting a shadow and penumbra behind her. The moon is also in her orbit, with the sun shining full upon her surface. She is represented to be so far above the nodes, or points where her orbit intersects the orbit of the earth, that she does not prevent the sun's rays from falling upon the earth, but casts her shadow and penumbra quite in another direction; and only a portion of her disk appears illu

minated.

Fig. 3, represents what is generally termed an eclipse of the sun, but what is in fact an eclipse of the earth; and, in order to explain this more correctly, we are supposed to be observing the same from a point on the earth marked "total" the sun shining upon that part of the surface of the moon which is