THE NORTH CAPE.

This Cape forms the most northerly point of the continent of Europe, and may be regarded as one of the sublimest wonders of nature. It is situated within the arctic circle, in seventy-one degrees ten minutes north latitude. It has been accurately described by a late voyager, from whose account the following particulars are extracted.

In approaching the Cape, a little before midnight, its rocks at first appeared to be nearly of an equal height, until they terminated in a perpendicular peak; but, on a nearer view, those within were found to be much higher than those of the extreme peak or point. Their general appearance was highly picturesque. The sea, breaking against this immovable rampart, which had withstood its fury from the remotest ages, bellowed, and formed a thick border of white froth. This spectacle, equally beautiful and terrific, was illuminated by the MIDNIGHT SUN; and the shade which covered the western side of the rocks rendered their aspect still more tremendous. The height of these rocks could not be ascertained; but here every thing was on so grand a scale, that a point of comparison could not be afforded by any ordinary known objects.

On landing, the party discovered a grotto, formed of rocks, the surface of which had been washed smooth by the waves, and having within a spring of fresh water. The only accessible spot in the vicinity was a hill, some hundred paces in circumference, surrounded by enormous crags.-From the summit of this hill, turning towards the sea, they perceived to the right a prodigious mountain, attached to the Cape, and rearing its steril mass to the skies. To the left, a neck of land, covered with less elevated rocks, against which the surge dashed with violence, closed the bay, and admitted but a limited view of the ocean. To see as far as possible into the interior, our navigators climbed almost to the summit of the mountain, where a most singular landscape presented itself to the view. lake in the foreground had an elevation of at least ninety feet above the level of the sea; and on the top of an adjacent, but less lofty mountain, was another lake. The view was terminated by peaked rocks, chequered by patches of snow.

A

At midnight the sun still remained several degrees above the horizon, and continued to ascend higher and higher til noon, when having again descended, it passed the north, without dipping below the horizon. This phenomenon, which is as extraordinary to the inhabitants of the torrid and temperate zones, as snow is to the inhabitants of the torrid zone, could not be viewed without a particular interest. Two months of continued day-light, during which space the sun never sets, seem to place the traveller in a new state of existence; while the effect on the inhabitants of these

perpetually above the horizon, they rise at ten in the morning, dine at five or six in the evening, and go to bed at one. But, during the winter season, when, from the beginning of December until the end of January, the sun never rises, they sleep above half of the twenty-four hours, and employ the other half in sitting over the fire, all business being at an end, and a constant darkness prevailing.

The cause of this phenomenon, as it affects the northern and southern regions of the earth, may be readily understood. The sun always illumines half the earth at once, and shines on every side ninety degrees from the place where he is vertical. When he is vertical over the equator, or equidistant from both poles, he shines as far as each pole; and this happens in spring and autumn. But, as he declines to the north in summer, he shines beyond the north pole, and all the countries near that pole turn round in perpetual sunshine: he, at the same time, leaves the south pole an equal number of degrees, and those parts turn round in darkness. The effect is contrary at each polc, in our winter the sun declining south of the equator.

It is

About three miles from the North Cape lies Maso, the northernmost part of Norwegian Lapland. formed of a very fine bay, in which ships may winter with the greatest security.-Monthly Repository.

BIOGRAPHY. (Continued from page 382 of Vol. I.)

"The venerable BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE, who died in the odour of sanctity, on the 16th of April 1783." If such a creature as the venerable B. J. Labre can be called a man, he was one of the dirtiest that ever "died in the odour of sanctity;" and yet, for the edification of the English, his life is translated from the French "by the Rev. M. James Barnard, ex-president of the English college at Lisbon, and Vicar General of the London district."

From this volume it appears that Labre was born at Boulogne on the 26th of March, 1748. When a child, he would not play as other children did, but made little oratories, and "chastised his body." Having thus early put forth" buds of self-denial, and self-contempt," he was taught Latin, educated superior to his station, did penance, made his first general confession, and found his chief delight at the feet of altars. At sixteen years old, instead of eating his food, he gave it

away out of the window, read pious books as he walked, turned the house of his uncle, a priest, into a kind of monastery, observed religious poverty, monkish silence, and austere penance, and, by way of humility, performed abject offices for the people of the parish, fetched provender for their animals, took care of their cattle, and cleaned the stalls. The aversion which he had against the world induced him to enter into a convent of Carthusians; where he discovered that he disliked profound retirement, and imagined he should not be able to save his soul unless he embraced an order more austere. Upon this he returned home, added extraordinary mortifications to his fasts and prayers, instead of sleeping on his bed lay on the floor, and told his mother he wished to go and live upon roots as the anchorets did. All this he might have done in the Carthusian convent, but his brain seems to have been a little cracked, for he resolved to go into another Carthusian convent, the prior of which would not admit him till he had studied philosophy for a year, and learned the Gregorian chant. Church music was very agreeable to him-but it was not so with regard to logic. "Notwithstanding all his efforts, he was never able to conquer his repugnance to this branch of study;" yet he somehow or other scrambled through an examination; got admitted into the convent; "thout its rules far too mild for such a sinner as he looked upon himself to be;" and after a six weeks trial, left in search of admission into the order of La Trappe, as the most rigid of any that he knew. The Trappists would not have him. This refusal he looked upon as a heavenly favour, because the monastery of SeptFonts surpassed La Trappe in severe austerities and discipline; and there he became a novice" till this life he fancied did not agree with him. "Having a long time before quitted his father's house, he could not think of returning to it again ;" and at two and twenty years of age he knew not what to do. His biographer says, that "little fit for the cloister, and still less fit for the world, he was destitute of the means of getting a livelihood; and being now persuaded of what were the designs of God concerning him, he resolved to follow the conduct, the light, and inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and to submit himself to all the sufferings and afflictions which might await him." His first step to this was writing a farewell letter to his parents, on the 31st of August, 1779, "and from that time they never received any account of him till after his death." (To be concluded in our next.)

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THE DEVIL'S BLOOD.

The Rev. Mr. Hecwelder relates the following fact of the influence of RUM upon an Indian.

An Indian who had been born and brought up at Minnisink, near the Delaware Water Gap, told me, near fifty years ago, that he had once, under the influence of strong liquor, killed the best Indian friend he had, fancying him to be his worst avowed enemy. He said that the deception was complete, and that while intoxicated, the face of his friend presented to his eyes all the features of the man with whom he was in a state of hostility.

It is impossible to express the horror with which he was struck when he awoke from that delusion; he was so shocked, that he from that moment resolved never more to taste of the maddening poison, of which he was convinced the Devil was the inventor; for it could | only be the Evil Spirit who made him see his enemy when his friend was before him, and produced so strong a delusion on his bewildered senses.

OUR FIRST VOLUME.

It will be perceived that various subjects are continued from our first volume. Such is the character of this publication, and the nature of those subjects, that this measure is unavoidable. We cannot, for example, treat fully on Universal History in a small weekly periodical, in less time than several years. And there are various other subjects which require more than a year for this purpose. It will therefore be readily perceived, that it is necessary for those who would have the whole of certain subjects, to take the work from its commencement. It should be recollected that it is not like purchasing a lot of old newspapers, to buy the 1st. Vol of this paper. We treat principally on standard subjects of knowledge; and, to such as have not already perused that volume, it would be as new and as valuable as the current one. As we stereotype our work, we can furnish it to new subscribers to any extent. The price unbound is the same as the present, viz. $1,50; well-bound and lettered, $2.

remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." After this, Noah planted a vineyard, on the fruit of which he became inebriated. Ham, his youngest son, observing him in this condition, exposed him to his brethren, who, taking a garment, went backwards, and covered their father. When Noah awoke from his wine, and learned what his sons had done to him, he denounced a curse against the posterity of Canaan, the son of Ham, and pronounced a blessing ou Shem and Japheth. All that we can positively learn of Noah after this is, that he lived till he was 950 years of age. The probability is, as we have heretofore stated, that he finally settled in some part of China, and founded that empire.

Japheth was the eldest son of Noah. He was born about a hundred years before the Flood. His sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The blessing pronounced upon him for his act of filial respect above noticed, was as follows:"God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant." Japheth's age and place of residence are not given. There is reason, however, to suppose, that he continued with his father.

Shem was the second son of Noah. He was born about ninety-eight years before the Flood. In him was the patriarchal line continued. The blessing pronounced upon him ran thus:-" Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant." The children of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. He probably continued with his father. He attained the age of 600 years, and was the only son of Noah whose age is given.

Ham was the third son of Noah, born probably about ninety-six years before the Flood. His sons were these: Cush, Misraim, Phut, and Canaan. He was cursed by his father for his exposure of him when inebriated, and doomed to be a servant of servants. How long he lived, and where he lived, we are not informed. He probably remained in the neighbourhood of his father.

Nimrod, the grandson of Ham, and the son of Cush, was the most conspicuous character, Noah excepted, that figured during this period. He appears to have excelled all others in hunting. He was also the founder of the Chaldean empire. He is the first monarch mentioned in all history. "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." On what authority he is said to have waged war on his species, we have yet to learn.

"Babylon is described by Herodotus as enclosing within its walls, a space of fifteen square miles. The walls he states were eighty-seven feet thick, and three hundred and fifty feet high. Sir Robert Ker Porter, to whom we are indebted for the annexed view of the supposed site of this famous city, and of the river. Euphrates, thinks that Babylon was so far from being exactly divided by the river, that its greatest extent lay to the west. He says, from the situation of Birs Nimrood, on the western plain, and the chain of buildingremains intersected by patches of verdure, which connect the bank of the river from beyond Anana with that extraordinary pile, the sketch of the city that way seems fully equal to the prescribed bounds; and wherever the old Tower of Babel could be traced, there we should doubtless look for the most ancient portion of the city: that which had comprised the capital until Nebuchadnezzar, despising the palace of his ancestors, and the boundaries of their habitations,' erected a vaster and more magnificent structure on the opposite bank of the river, and spread the walls of the city yet further towards the rising sun. The eastern bank, certainly, has preserved more remains than the west, but if the Kasr, or palace, &c. are really the ruins of the new palace and its citadel, then we have the natural solution; wherever the court was, there would the population draw, till the opposite side were comparatively deserted. The aggrandizement of the temple of Belus in that quarter, by the same monarch, who had given a rival to its ancient palace, would in some measure act as a counterpoise. But when Cyrus, for his own immediate object, so effectually stopped the course of the river, the consequences of the haste with which it was done are said to have broken down certain defensive dykes to the west of the city, and hence those parts ever afterwards became a marsh. No person can doubt, that all who could, would withdraw from such unwholesome quarters; and when the temple was sacked by Xerxes, then we may suppose that the inhabitants would emigrate to the other shore."

LITERATURE.

LANGUAGE.

Our next subject of inquiry will be, Which was the original language? To this we readily reply: No one as it now is. Too many changes have occurred in every language to permit us to expect to find any one now like that one. And yet it is but rational to conclude, that the original language was not destroyed at Babel, but that a portion of mankind retained it as one of the many kinds spoken after the Confusion. The portion of mankind which did retain this language were undoubtedly those who remained in Chaldea This is a more natural supposition, than that those whose language was changed remained there. We come therefore to the conclusion, that the primitive Chaldean language was the original one.

Now it will be recollected that Abraham was a na tive of Ur of the Chaldees. From him descended the Jews or Hebrews. Thus we perceive at once that the ancient Hebrew and Chaldean languages were from the same source. And if Noah was not present at the Dispersion, as has been supposed, but was at that time dwelling in China with a portion of his posterity, then of course his party also retained the original language. Thus we arrive at the conclusion, that the ancient Chinese, Chaldean, and Hebrew languages were all substantially the same, and may all be considered as the primitive language. This deduction, drawn from the circumstances of the case, is confirmed by those languages themselves.

"I am inclined to think," says Shuckford, "that if any one would take the pains to examine strictly the Chaldean and Hebrew languages, and take from each