cause of this heat. Those who admit that there are concealed fires in every place under the earth, approach perhaps the nearest to the truth. But how this fire, so closely confined, can burn; what the substance is that feeds it, or how it can be burned without consuming, is what cannot be de termined with certainty. There are phenomena on our globe, which prove the existence of subterraneous fires in a very formidable manner. From time to time there are terrible eruptions of fire. The two most remarkable mountains which produce such, are Etna in Sicily, and Vesuvius in the kingdom of Naples. The accounts given of these two volcanos are frightful. Sometimes a black vapour only rises out of them; at other times a hollow roaring is heard; all at once it is followed by thunder and lightning, attended by an earthquake. Then the vapour clears up, and becomes luminous. Stones fly with violence, and fall again into the gulf which threw them out. Sometimes these eruptions are so violent, that large pieces of rock are hurled into the air, and turn round as swiftly as a foot-ball. The force of the interior air of these mountains is so prodigious, that, in the last century, pieces of rocks, weighing three hundred pounds, were thrown into the air, and fell again at the distance of three miles. However, even these explosions are not the worst; for, at certain times, the vitrified en. trails of the earth boil up, and rise, till their for, midable foaming runs over at the outside, and flows for the space of several miles through the neighbouring fields, where it swallows up every thing in its passage. Then, the torrent of fire lasts for several days. One wave rolls over another, till it reaches the sea. And even here its violence is such, that it continues to flow for some time without being extinguished in the waves of the ocean. Who can think, without terror, of the disasters which such eruptions occasion ?

Whole farms and villages, with their fertile plantations, are swallowed up. The meadows are consumed; the olive-trees and vines entirely destroyed. We are told, that, in one of the eruptions of Etna, the torrent of burning lava spread itself over fourteen cities; and that the roaring within the mountain was heard at twenty miles distance.

But wherefore these volcanos, which spread such terror and devastation on the earth? Why has the Lord created them? Why, instead of putting bounds to their fury, has he permitted them thus to distress his creatures? Who then am I, to dare to ask such questions? Have I a right to demand an account of the plans formed by Su. preme Wisdom? The existence of these volcanos cannot be the work of chance; and I ought to conclude, that the Creator has wise reasons for ordering such to be. Besides, even in this, I find the beneficent hand which provides for the welfare of mankind. Whatever mischief these eruptions occasion, it is nothing in comparison of the advantage they are of, on the whole, to our globe. The bosom of the earth being full of fire, it was absolutely necessary that there should be volcanos, because, they are the vents by which the force of that dreadful element is broken and weakened. And though the countries where the subterraneous fires collect in greatest quantities, are subject to earthquakes, they would be still more violent, if these volcanos did not exist. Italy would not be such a fertile country, if, now and then, the fire which the earth contains, had not found a vent in those mountains. And, after all, who knows if these frightful phenomena may not produce other advantages concealed from us, and if the influence of them may not extend over the whole globe? At least, this is enough to convince us that they contribute to fulfil the design of our Divine Author, so full of wisdom and

goodness. And if there still remain things to us obscure and impenetrable, let us put our hands to our mouths, and say, " Lord, thy judgments are right and equitable, and thy ways impossible to discover: but who would not fear thee, O God of heaven, who doth such terrible things!".

JAN. XXV.

Comets.

THIS extraordinary star borrows its name from the vapour with which it is surrounded, and is undoubtedly one of the number of celestial bodies that belong to the system of our world. It moves round the sun, as well as the other planets; but it differs from all of them, by a motion peculiar to itself, by its orbit, and by its form. Seen through a telescope, it appears full of spots, and uneven; but the mist which surrounds it often conceals the figure of it. The size of comets differ frequently. Some are scarce equal to stars of the third and fourth class. Others, on the contrary, are larger than stars of the first magnitude. In the middle of it there appears a very thick Hucleus, which sometimes separates, and becomes like the edge of the disk. Its form is not always perfectly round; nor is the light of it always equally strong and brilliant. Its tail, or beams, always opposite to the sun, are of so thin and transparent a substance, that the fixed stars may be seen through them. These beams extend sometimes from the horizon almost to the zenith, which gives to the whole star an appearance of great distinction. The farther the tail is from the comet, the more it enlarges; and its light decreases in proportion as its size increases. Sometimes it separates into several divisions of rays. This is part of the result of some exact observa

tions made by astronomers; but, undoubtedly, it is the least important of what should be known, in order to have a perfect knowledge of all that relates to those celestial bodies, many of which are out of the reach of our sight. Is the comet a watery planet, or a burning globe? This is what cannot be determined with any certainty; nor can the following questions be answered in a satisfactory manner.

Is that globe inhabited, which, somestimes near the sun, endures all its burning heat, and, at other times, going out of the line of the spheres, plunges into total darkness, where it seems as if the rays of the sun could never penetrate? Or else, has the Judge of the universe designed it for the pu nishment of his creatures? Is its coarse surface, exposed by turns to the most violent extremes of heat and cold, the abode of perverse beings reprobated by him? Possibly, these wandering bodies may one day serve to divert the course of the planets; and by that means become the cause of their destruction. Or, are they still deserts, void and shapeless, as the earth was before the Creator made it habitable and fertile? And will not the fate of comets be determined till our globe shall be no more? The impossibility of our resolving these questions ought to convince us that the human knowledge is very limited. Men, how. ever, often lose sight of this truth. For, if it were present to our minds, the appearance of a comet would not raise a thousand vain conjectures, which so ill agree with the limits of our understanding. Several consider a comet as the fore runner of the judgments of Heaven. Some read in them the fate of a nation, and the fall of empires. With others, they are presages of war, of the plague, or of inundation; in a word, of the most dreadful calamities. These superstitious people do not know, that a comet is a very natural appearance, the return of which can be

exactly calculated; and consequently cannot, in any respect, interrupt the ordinary course of things. They do not consider that this star, as well as the planets, must have a design of very different importance from that which superstition gives to it. What! could Supreme Wisdom place those prodigious bodies in the sky, merely to announce to a small number of living creatures the fate that awaits them!

May the comet, when, overleaping the immense space which now separates it from our sight, it returns again, be to me, not a messenger of misfortune, but the herald of the majesty of God. I will adore the Supreme Being, who prescribes to it its course; who conducts it through an immeasurable æthereal space; and orders it sometimes to approach the sun, and sometimes to remove to the farthest limits of the planetary system. Each time it shines over my head, my soul shall soar, with a pious flight, towards that Supreme Being, who is the Arbiter and Sovereign of all worlds. Then will I dwell on that sublime idea, that I may soon perhaps be come an inhabitant of the everlasting abode, where, surveying immense spaces of the heavens, I may discover millions of new worlds.

JAN. XXVI.

Snow.

PERHAPS on reading the title of this meditation, some may ask, if it is worth while examin. ing into the cause of so common a phenomenon of nature. My design, notwithstanding, is to awaken attention to this wonder; and to shew, that the formation of snow has sufficient charms for a reflecting mind.

Snow consists of watery particles, which are