the lower suit are four apartments looking into the Engine Court, for the officers and attendants.

Of the rooms themselves, the decorations are of a very humble description, sans glitter, sans gold, sans finery. The walls are covered with an ordinary paper; the chimney-pieces of plain marble; and the whole furniture composed of rosewood and simple chintz calico, such as may be seen in any private gentleman's habitation. We would say, that the rooms are of rather small dimensions; for example, his majesty, in his dining-room, could not well dine more than half-a-dozen in comfort. Such is the accommodation of the king of Great Britain, at this good day, in the capital of his kingdom. Our monarch takes the corner of the house, and seems to be satisfied with a set of 100ms which could not be boasted of by the youngest ensign of his guards !—Literary Gazette.

SKETCHING FROM NATURE.

In the year 1820, captain Hastings, then on a voyage between the island of Madagascar and the Cape of Good Hope, was overtaken by a violent storm. The furious turmoil of the ocean—the mightiness of the surging waves-the blackness of the water and the vivid effects of the lightning coming athwart the dark curtain of the heavens, he beheld with an intensity of feeling, that almost entirely absorbed every consideration of personal safety. Having taken the necessary means for the security of his vessel, and anxious to contemplate the grandeur of the scene, he ordered himself to be lashed to an elevated part of his ship, that, during the raging of the tempest, he might not only study, but actually sketch the terrific appearances around him. Collected amidst the uproar of the element, and regardless of danger, he produced a faithful and spirited drawing of a storm at sea, full of all the fury and sublimity of his subject. This drawing he sent to the Royal Academy, where it was exhibited the following year, and attracted peculiar attention.-Rhode's Yorkshire Scenery.

CHANCELLOR NORTHINGTON.

LORD chancellor Northington in the reign of George II. was once detained from going to court on a levee day by a severe fit of the gout-the occasion being one of more than usual importance, he desired his wife to go, giving her particular directions concerning her behaviour there. On her ladyship's return the chancellor eagerly inquired how she had got on ? "Oh, very well indeed; his majesty paid me marked attention; and

among other questions, asked me who built Grange, (their residence in Hampshire.) I told his majesty it was built 66 Aye," said by one Indigo Jones." the king, "he was a famous architect who came from India." " I replied to his majesty that he did. "Then," said the chancellor, "I do not know which of the two is the greatest " Walpole's Correspondence.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVA.
TIONS FOR FEBRUARY.

(For the Mirror.) WINTER is a season which, although unpleasant, is absolutely necessary; it is indeed as useful as the spring; it purifies the air, and disperses those unwholesome and infectious vapours which would fill us with disease and death; it destroys innumerable multitudes of noxious insects, which otherwise would devour the few existing remains of vegetation; it also braces the human frame, and nerves the limbs with new vigour. It is the rest of nature preparing for new exertion. The snows cover the corn to protect it from the inclemency of the frosts; and when this beneficial end is accomplished, the mild breathings of a southern gale, aided by the generous influence of the sun, dissolves the snow, which, sinking deep into the soil, replenishes the earth with those principles of vegetation which will first bloom in spring, and afterwards ripen into

the fruits of autumn.

One of the peculiar comforts of this season of the year is thus alluded to by Cowper:

:

"Oh! Winter,

I crown thee king of intimate delights,
Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness,
And all the comforts that the lonely roof
Of undisturbed retirement, and the hours
Of long uninterrupted evening know."

That intimate, amusing, instructive, and protracted intercourse with agreeable friends, comfortable habitations, abundant fuel, suitable raiment, and many of the luxuries of life, are among our winter enjoyments. It is in this interesting season that families congregate and parents survey their children and grandchildren with elevated joy and gratitude.

The severity of the season is more imcommunity: during its continuance, of mediately felt by the lower class of the the multitudes of the poor,

- Sore pierced by wintry winds,
How many sink into the sordid hut
Of cheerless poverty."

Many doubtless perish by the snows and frosts of this inclement period of the year,

ture of the poet :

"In vain for him th' officious wife prepares

The fire fair blazing, and the vestments warm;
In vain his little children, peeping out
Into the mingling storm, demand their sire
With tears of artless innocence-alas!
Nor wife nor children more shall he behold,
Nor friends nor sacred home."

It is not, however, a perpetual succession of storms; there are many fine as well as tempestuous days in winter; it is also very transient; a few more weeks, and spring, in all its native loveliness, will again scatter its beauties around our path. We can then congratulate each other in the exquisite language of holy writ-"Lo! the winter is past-the flowers are seen on the earth the season of the song is come."

The Sun may now be perceived to attain a much greater meridior.al elevation than he exhibited a short time ago; he rises on the 1st at 7 h. 35 m., and sets at 4 h. 26 m., thus adding 1 h. 18m. to the length of the day. He enters the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces, on the 19th, at 8h. 52 m. morning.

The Moon is in apogee, or at her greatest distance from the earth, on the 5th; and in perigee, or nearest us, on the 20th. Mercury passes his superior conjunction on the 21st, at 9 h. morning, the sun being then in a direct line between him and the earth. He is not visible during the month. Venus, the most brilliant of the celestial orbs, may be observed in the morning, rising through the month at about 4 h., her crescent of light presenting a pleasing telescopic appearance. On the 7th, she has 4 digits east illuminated, her apparent diameter being 34 sec. On the 22nd, at 9 h. 23 m. morning, the northern limb of the moon will pass within 1 m. 29 sec. of Venus' southern limb, and should the atmosphere prove clear at the time, it may be readily seen by the aid of a telescope.

Jupiter rises on the 1st at 10 h. 13 m., and on the 28th, at 8 h. 16 m. evening. There are five visible eclipses of his first satellite this month, viz.

ours.

bodies of our system, yet he is impelled through space at the rate of 22,000 miles an hour, accompanied by his two stupendous rings, and seven moons larger than Were it possible for us to be stationed a thousand miles or so from this glorious luminary, how would our finite comprehension be overwhelmed with astonishment at viewing such a grand and ponderous object flying through space with such amazing velocity.

In the beginning of the month, about 8 h. evening, Auriga will be in the zenith; Capella 5 deg. south from the zenith; Castor and Pollux E.S. E., at the elevation of 55 deg. and 60 deg.; Orion on the meridian; Canis Major S. S. E.; Canis Minor S. E.; Leo due E.; Hydra E.S. E.; Pegasus W. by N., his head being below the horizon; Bootes rising N. E. by N.; Ursa Major, N. E.; and Leo Minor, E. by N.

There is an appearance in the heavens termed semita luminosa, or the zodiacal light, first discovered by Cassini in 1683. It is of a triangular form, the base being toward the sun, and is something like the galaxy, or the tail of a comet, thin enough to let stars be seen through it, and surrounds the sun in the form of a lens. It is stretched along the zodiac, and accompanies the sun in his annual motion through the twelve signs; it reaches beyond the orbit of Venus, but not so far as that of the earth; it is weakest in the morning and strongest at night, disappearing in full moonlight or strong twi light; it may be seen both morning and evening in the middle of winter, and is most conspicuous after evening twilight at the latter end of this month, as then it stands most erect above the horizon, and is therefore clearest from the thick vapour of twilight; about six in the evening it tends from twilight towards the Pleiades, and as it were touching them. breadth of it near the horizon is various, from 12 deg. to almost 30 deg. Near the sun, where it may reasonably be supposed to be broadest, it cannot be seen. sides the difference of real extension of

The

Be

this light in length and breadth at different times, it is diminished by the nearness of any other light in the sky, not to mention that the extent of it will be differently determined by different spectators, according to the goodness of their eyes. This light was originally supposed to emanate from the sun; but, as the London Ency clopedia observes, "the atmosphere of no planet can extend beyond the point at which the centrifugal force arising from its evolution, is equal to the force of gra vity, and that distance is equal to the

radius of a planet's orbit, which revolves in the same time that the sun revolves on his axis. Now the sun revolves in about 25 days, and Mercury in about 88; there

Yet, there are grieving hearts; there are, who love in tears;

There are, who perish when his form, the icybreather rears;

to the orbit of Mercury, while the zodiacal light, whatever it is, certainly extends much farther." This consideration mili. tates strongly against the hypothesis of the zodiacal light being connected with the solar atmosphere.

An astronomical telescope for viewing celestial objects may be easily constructed. Thus take a convex lens, with a focal distance of 30 inches, and fix it in one end of a tube, and an eye-glass of one inch focus at the other end, 31 inches from the object glass. By this instrument, the rugged appearance of the moon's surface, the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, and Saturn's ring may be distinctly observed. The focal distance of a convex glass may be ascertained by holding it in the rays of the sun, opposite to a piece of white paper, and measuring the distance between the glass and the white spot or burning point formed on the paper. lescopes of this construction were formerly made of 100 and even 200 feet in length; they were used without a tube, the object glass being placed on the top of a long pole; but these are now entirely super seded by achromatic telescopes, one of which, four feet long, will magnify objects as much as a common refractor (such as above described) 100 feet long.

Now,

Te

PASCHE.

SONG FOR WINTER.

(For the Mirror,)

frosty winds blow keen, snows deepen on the ground,

But the pleasant jest and tale, by the glowing

fire, go round;

And merry hearts, and sunny smiles, defying cold and care,

Are in the breasts, ard on the lips, of those who revel there.

Now, storms are wild without, and frozen showers fall,

But music rings in ecstasy throughout that radiant hall,

Where the joyous dancers meet; where young bosoms speak by sighs,

While wordless, deep affection gleams, in lighted

traitor eyes.

Murk were the moonless night, the cheerless day were dim,

When burlying winter frowns, if we could not combat him ;

But dance and song, and wine and cheer, and

garb and fire, awhile

Repel the fierce-invader, or betray him to a smile.

chase him from the door,

We'll ne'er forget the joyless, the forsaken, or the poor! M. L. B.

ALTHOUGH the ancients were remarkable for their dexterity in most of the athletic sports, yet skating seems to have been unknown to them. It may therefore be considered as a modern invention, and probably it derived its origin in Holland, where it was practised not only as a graceful and elegant amusement, but as an expeditious mode of travelling when the lakes and canals were frozen up during winter. In Holland, long journeys are made upon skates with ease and expedition; but in general less attention is there paid to graceful and elegant movements than to the expedition and celerity of what is called journey skating. It is only in those countries where it is considered as an amusement, that its graceful attitudes and movements can be studied; and there is no exercise whatever better calculated to set off the human figure to advantage. The acquirement of most exercises may be attained at an advanced period of life; but to become an expert skater, it is necessary to begin the practice of the art at a very early age, when bumps and falls are of a very little consequence. I cannot (says Strutt) by any means ascertain at what time skating made its appearance in England. Fitzstephen, who flourished in the 12th century and died in the year 1191, says, " It was customary in the winter, when the ice would bear them, for the young citi zens of London to fasten the legbones of animals under the soles of their feet by tying them round their ancles, and then taking a pole shod with iron into their hands, they pushed themselves forward by striking it against the ice, and moved with celerity equal to a bird fiying through the air, or an arrow from a cross-bow." But some allowance, I presume, must be made for the poetical figure: he then adds, "at times, two of them thus furnished agree to start opposite one to another, at a great distance, they meet, elevate their poles, attack and strike each

other, when one or both of them fall, and not without some bodily hurt; and, even after the fall, are carried a great distance from each other by the rapidity of the motion, and whatever part of the head comes upon the ice, it is sure to be laid bare." The wooden skates shod with iron or steel, which are bound about the feet and ancles, like the talares of the Greeks and Romans, were most probably brought into England from the low countries, where they are said to have originated, and where it is well known they are almost universally used by persons of both sexes when the season permits. In Hoole's translation of the Vocabulary by Commenius, the skates are called scrickshoes, from the German, and in the print at the head of the section, they are represented longer than those of the present day, and the irons are turned up much higher in the front. Some modern writers have asserted, that "the metropolis of Scotland has produced more instances of elegant skaters, than, perhaps, any other country whatever, and the institution of a skating club, about forty years ago, has contributed not a little to the improvement of this amusement." I have, however, seen, some years back, when the Serpentine river in Hyde Park was frozen over, four gentlemen there, dancing, if I may be allowed the expression, a double minuet in skates, with as much ease, and I think more elegance than in a ball room; others again, by turning and winding with much adroitness, have readily in succession described upon the ice the form of all the letters of the alphabet. Sliding is likewise one of the diversions ascribed by Fitzstephen to the young men of London, but is at present very little practised except by children and such as cannot afford to purchase skates. As far as one can judge from his description of the sport, it differed not in the performance from the method used by the boys of our own time; but he adds another kind of pastime upon the ice that is not now in practice; his words are to this effect :-"Others make a seat of ice as large as a millstone, and having placed one of their companions upon it they draw him along, when it sometimes happens, that moving on slippery places, they all fall down headlong." Instead of these seats of ice, among the moderns, sledges are used, which being extended from a centre by means of a strong rope, those who are seated in them are moved round with great velocity, and form an extensive circle. Sledges of this kind were set upon the Thames in the time of a hard frost, at the commencement of the last century, as the following

couplet taken from a song written upon that occasion plainly proves ;"While the rabble in sledges run giddily round, And naught but a circle of folly is found.”

See Strutt's Sports and Pastimes.

These amusements call to mind the present slippery games of "trippings-up and bumps," and " keep the pot boiling." I shall conclude this cold and icy subject with Gay's warm and glowing descrip tion of a fair upon the Thames :"O roving muse! recal that wond'rous year, When winter reign'd in bleak Britannia's air: When hoary Thames, with frosted oziers crown'd,

Was three long moons in icy fetters bound.
The waterman forlorn along the shore,
Pensive reclines upon his useless oar,
Sees harness'd steeds desert the stouy town,
And wander roads unstable, not their own;
Wheels o'er the harden'd waters smoothly
glide,

And rase with whiten'd tracks the slippery tide.

Here the fat cook piles high the blazing fire, And scarce the spit can turn the steer entire. Booths sudden hide the Thames, long streets

96

FEBRUARY is derived from Februa, a feast held by the Romans in this month in behalf of the manes of the deceased; when expiatory sacrifices were performed, and the last offices paid to the shades o. the defunct.

Our desolate-looking, but fine February design above strikes the mind with seasonable impressions, while to the eye it conveys the general appearances of this cold and cheerless month. The observations of that pleasant and admirable little volume, Time's Telescope, on February indications, are so justly made, that we are compelled to turn to its instructive pages. It is there noted, that "the weather, which is sometimes very severe throughout the month of February, is more often alternately cold and mild. our variable climate, we one day experience all the rigidity of winter, and a genial warmth prevails the next; and, indeed, such changes are not unfrequently felt in the same day. If the season be mild, a walk in the garden will discover to us many pleasing objects; among these, the botanist and the admirer of nature's beauties will not consider the snowdrop and the crocus beneath his passing notice.

In

"Towards the end of the month, in mild weather, the bloom-buds of the fruittrees may be seen to swell every day.

The laurust nus is still in blossom, and so is the China-rose. The buds of the lilac-tree are very forward. The greenhouse is an object of attraction in this month.

"About the beginning of the month, the woodlark, one of our earliest and sweetest songsters, renews his note. The thrush now commences his song, and tomtits are seen hanging on the eaves of barns and thatched out-houses, particularly if the weather be snowy and severe. yellow-hammer and chaffinch are heard towards the end of the month."

The

The husbandman is now eager to commence the work of ploughing, which important business is finished in this month, if the weather permit. Early potatoes are set, hedges repaired, trees lopped, and wet lands drained. Poplars, willows, osiers, and other aquatics, are planted.

Two brothers were amusing themselves, something in the style of William the conqueror's sons, by throwing water in each other's faces. The elder one took a true aim and seldom missed his mark; the younger one as constantly failed. At last he could bear it no longer, and cried out in great vexation, "I declare now, Frank, it's not fair; for see you are ever so much nearer to me than I am to you."

96