light in all sorts of snakes. If we also consider how many excellent medicines are composed of the most poisonous herbs, nothing can be more easy than to justify the wisdom and goodness of God in forming creatures useful to us in so many ways. The following reflections will more and more convince us of it. The number of noxious plants and animals is nothing in comparison of the multitude of those that are of the greatest use to us. The Creator has also implanted a natural instinct in men and animals, which gives them an aversion for whatever is hurtful to them. The mischievous beasts have a certain fear of man, and scarce ever make use of their offensive arms, unless they are attacked or provoked. Besides, the most noxious animals have evident marks and characters, by which their dangerous properties are easily known; that, by being warned, we may avoid, or prevent the danger. The rattle-snake, which is the most venomous of all snakes, gives warning of its approach by the clattering of the rings in its tail.The crocodile is so heavy in its motions, and turns with such difficulty, that it is very easy to escape from it. Divine Goodness has even so wisely disposed things, that the most dangerous and venomous animals furnish the remedy with the poison. Thus the scorpion oil is an infallible remedy for its sting. A bee bruised, rubbed, and put on the wound, cures the evil it did. The fat of vipers is also an excellent remedy against their bite.. It might be said, perhaps, that it would be better if there was no plant or animal that could hurt other creatures. But this would only prove our ignorance and self-love. If God has ordained, that one creature should hurt another, it is for very wise purposes; and from this plan, there accrues to us many very great advantages. Several creatures. which appear hurtful, are not really so, at least, in certain respects. Their poison, and even the orgaus they make use of to wound others, are

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absolutely necessary to them. One example may serve for all the rest: the bee often gives pain with its sting, but if it is taken from it, the bee can never be of any use afterwards. It is the same throughout all nature. Every thing that appears hurtful, is, in reality, indispensibly necessary.— Wherefore, then, has man the presumption to decide what is hurtful or useful in nature? Who can say it is contrary to the wisdom of God that we should sometimes feel pain? Do not the most disagreeable things often procure us the greatest advantage? In general, it is certain that natural things are only hurtful by accident; and if wẹ receive harm from them, we may always blame our own imprudence.

JUNE VIII.

The Perfume of Flowers.

A THOUSAND pleasing and cheerful objects surround me on all sides. Every thing I see, every thing I hear, all the sensations which smell or taste can give, all contribute to my enjoyment or happiness. Every thing in nature, at this beautiful season, seems combined to fill my mind with the sweetest and purest delights, and to lead my heart towards God. Every object that excites my admiration, inclines me to look up to him as the source and giver of all that we enjoy. Each flower is a proof of his power, a mark of his existence, and a hymn to his praise. I will, at present, confine myself to the pleasure I receive from the va. riety of sweet perfumes which the flowers afford. It would have pleased the eye alone with the wonderful variety in the vegetable kingdom, but he has graciously added, to the other charms of flowers, that of sweet perfumes; and there is as much variety in their smell as in the flowers themselves.

Though we cannot exactly determine in what the difference consists, we perceive it sensibly in going from one flower to another. It is also remarkable that the smell is neither strong enough to hurt the head, nor weak enough to lose its pleasing effect. The particles which the flowers exhale are so light and fine, that they disperse to a distance, and thus are not troublesome. A grain of amber can fill a whole room twenty feet square and fifteen high, with its perfume. The smell of the rosemary, that grows in Provence, reaches twenty miles beyond sea.

But how is it that the vapours which exhale from plants so easily reach the organs of smell! It must be attributed to the construction of the nose. It is composed of two cavities, separated by a partition. They unite by degrees, and end in one only, which reaches to the bottom of the throat, where there is a communication with the mouth. All this cavity is lined with a membrane, which is one continued series of nerves. These come from the brain, through a bone pierced full of holes, which,on this account, is called the sieve-like bone. The smelling channel being wide at the bottom,and growing gradually more narrow towards the top, occasions the smelling corpuscles to accumulate in the upper part, when we breathe the air through the nose; and, of course, must affect those nerves the more. By these means we receive the impression of even the least smell. Let us also observe, that Divine Wisdom has formed bony plates, which stop the upper part of the nose, and which have a twofold use. They prevent any thing hurtful from entering into the breathing passage during sleep, or when we are unable to guard it otherwise.They receive and support the branchings of the olfactory nerves, a great number of whose little branches and threads are dispersed in these bones; and, by that means, these nerves meet every where

the odoriferous corpuscles which strike them when they enter the nose with the air.

It is therefore very just, O Lord! that we should bless and give Thee thanks for those wise plans. For, that the smell is a real blessing, we must particularly be sensible of at this season.

JUNE IX.

The Multitude of Animals.

THE naturalists, who have calculated the number of animals on our globe, have discovered about 400,000 species. However prodigious this num ber may appear, it is by no means exaggerated. There is reason to suppose, that, in the known parts of the earth, there are more than 450 kinds of land animals, 600 of birds, more than 2000 of finny fish, more than 3000 of shell fish, more than 20,000 different sorts of insects, visible to the naked eye. In this number, the insects, which belong to different sorts of animals are not comprised, and which, at least, amount to 100,000 species. There is also an infinity of insects still unknown to us; we may presume above 200,000 sorts. And what shall we say to the innumerable multitude of insects which feed on plants only? 18,000 species of plants have been reckoned. In giving, then, but four species of insects to each, we find that this amounts to 72,000. Such a number of animals living on our globe, certainly appears prodigious; but it will not be found too much, if we believe, with some naturalists, that every part of the immense kingdom of nature is animated, and filled with live creatures. Very skilful physcians maintain, that the disorders which are attended with blotches and pimples, and even certain fevers, are occasioned by worms. It is also very probable,

that the atmosphere is sometimes peopled with animals, although their extreme minuteness prevents them from being visible. Who knows whether that sort of trembling motion seen in the air during summer, may not be produced by millions of insects swarming in the atmosphere? Let us take the first flower that falls in the way, for example, a daisy, or a rose, and we shall find there a multitude of insects. Is there the smallest spot in nature where living animals are not to be found?— Nature has even produced animals in other animals, and made one animal to be as a world for other creatures to subsist in. The air, the juices of animals and plants, corrupted matter, excrements, smoke, dry wood, and even the hardest stones, in some measure, feed and serve to lodge living creatures. The sea seems an element made up of animals. That light observed upon it in summer nights, is owing to innumerable little shining worms, whose parts, when divided from the body and corrupted, still shine, as the worm itself did, when alive. Whole swarms of animalculæ, which the eye cannot reckon, flutter and sport in the rays of the sun. All these innumerable animals of our little globe are infinitely diversified in their form, their organs, their faculties and motions. Undertake, O man! to name all these animals, to express by numbers the individuals of one single species; to calculate how many flies, worms, birds, &c. there are! How could you do it? Their number is unknown; and if it were not so, it would be impossible to express it by cyphers. Here we have a fine subject for admiration, in reflecting on the infinite power of our Creator. He alone produced, he alone preserves and supports this immense multitude of creatures. Consider how much food such a number of animals require. If they only lived at each others expense, if they destroyed one another, nature would present us with nothing but a frightful scene of murder and slaughter. But