The last half of the month.-The hungry hare for food boldly enters into our gardens; and the rat becomes troublesome in our houses. "Now famish'd foxes prowl about, And half-starved polecats make nocturnal jaunts, To smell defenceless hen-roosts out, And seize the poultry in their nightly haunts. "Happy for us, the wolf and bear, That roam the continental wilds around At this sad season of the year, Set not their fatal feet on British ground." The aberdevine and nuthatch are heard in woods and plantations: the song-thrush and blackbird occasionally sing in sheltered situations. The redbreast at this time is peculiarly fond of the habitation of man; and, unless the weather is extremely cold, readily pours forth his sweet and sprightly song. In mild days gnats are seen sporting in the open air; and winter-moths, and bay-shouldered button-moths, are at times seen. A few scattered flowers of the polyanthus and the heart's-ease attract our attention. On sunny banks, red archangel, common groundsel, and early speedwell occasionally blow. The snowdrop and yellow-crocus begin to put forth their flowers at the end of the month. "Old Winter's cloak of snowy down O'er this green earth again is thrown; To last till Spring comes nigh: When sun and earth again is seen, BRIEF ASTRONOMICAL NOTICES, FOR JANUARY, 1847. BY MR. WILLIAM ROGERSON, of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. "O GOD, how glorious thy dominions are! Where are thy wonders limited? where? where? Has creature ever wing'd, from star to star, His rapid flight, and met thy presence there? Wing never fled, eye never saw so far, The task is more than finite thought would dare, Though on its speed than heaven-wing'd light more fleet; "There's wisdom vast, and knowledge infinite, And power almighty fill my gazing eye, And all have tongues to teach me what is meet; "I see him in the star, whose feeble ray Has wander'd fast and long to meet my ken; I see him in the glorious King of day, Monarch of splendour, shining,-and again O'erwhelm'd, in reverence fall before his seat: "My meditation of him shall be sweet.' G. S. "THE history of creation is, itself, the history of God's government; and nothing short of absolute idiotism, rather than mere ignorance, could believe it possible that this incalculably complicated, multifarious, and inconceivably extended universe, could preserve its order without a government."-Macculloch. The SUN rises on the 1st at eight minutes past eight, and sets at fifty-nine minutes after three: on the same day he rises at Edinburgh at thirty-six minutes past eight, and sets at thirty-one minutes after three. The Sun rises at Greenwich or London on the 19th at fifty-seven minutes past seven, and sets at twenty-four minutes after four: he rises at Edinburgh, on the same day, at twenty-one minutes past eight, and sets at two minutes after four on the afternoon of the 20th he enters the southern sign, Aquarius. : The MOON is full on the 1st, at forty-two minutes past two in the afternoon; and rises on the 2d at half-past five in the evening: she rises on the 4th at half-past seven, and on the 6th at a quarter before ten, at night. The Moon enters on her last quarter on the 9th; and rises on the 10th at eleven minutes before one in the morning she rises on the 12th at three o'clock, and on the 14th at a quarter after five: she changes on the 17th, at a quarter before one in the morning; and presents her fine crescent in the western sky in the evening of the 18th, and descends below the horizon at nine minutes before six: she sets on the 19th at a quarter past eight, and on the 21st at a few minutes before eleven, at night. The Moon appears half-full, on the 23d; and on the 24th is due south, at fifty-one minutes past six in the evening. This beautiful luminary is exactly south on the 26th at thirty-five minutes past eight, and on the 28th at seventeen minutes after ten, at night. She is full again on the 31st, at twenty-nine minutes past eight in the morning; and in the evening of that day appears rising in her borrowed lustre a few degrees to the north of the east point, very soon after day's radiant orb descends below the western horizon. The Moon, at the behest of the Diety, at two hundred and forty thousand miles from the earth, exercises powerful influences over ocean's wide domains : On this day, the 31st of January, there will be high water at London-bridge at half-past two in the afternoon; and at Doverpier, at half an hour after eleven at night. MERCURY may be seen by good eyes, on very clear mornings, at the beginning of the month, near the south-eastern horizon, about three quarters of an hour before sunrise. VENUS, towards the end of the month, makes her appearance amid the evening twilight, but sets early. MARS is to be seen in the mornings: he rises about five o'clock; but, being at this time at a great distance from the Earth, appears small. JUPITER is a splendid object every clear night, and cannot be mistaken; for his brightness now surpasses that of every star in the heavens on the 26th and 27th he is in the neighbourhood of the Moon. Those of our readers who are in possession of proper telescopes, and wish to observe the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, will find the following useful:-The first satellite emerges from the planet's shadow on the 3d, at forty-nine minutes past eight in the evening; on the 19th at nine minutes past seven, and on the 26th at five minutes after nine, in the evening. SATURN appears in the south-west after sunset, and his double ring amuses the telescopic observer: on the 18th and 19th he is in the vicinity of the Moon. URANUS is a telescopic object every bright evening: his geocentric longitude all this month is about the eleventh degree of Aries, and his latitude two-thirds of a degree south. THE NEW PLANET is still near Saturn, being about the twentysixth degree of Aquarius, and has very little latitude, not exceeding a few minutes, from the ecliptic. Note.-January 8th, 1642. Galileo Galilei died, aged seventyeight years. Although quite blind, and nearly deaf, the intellectual powers of Galileo remained to the end of his life; but he occasionally felt that he was over-working himself, and used to complain to his friend Micanzio that he found his head too busy for his body. "I cannot keep my restless brain from grinding on, although with great loss of time; for whatever idea comes into my head with respect to any novelty, drives out of it whatever I had been thinking of just before." He was busily engaged in considering the nature of the force of percussion, and Torricelli was employed in arranging his investigations for a continuation of the "Dialogues on Motion," when he was seized with an attack of fever and palpitation of the heart, which, after an illness of two months, put an end to his long, laborious, and useful life, just one year before his successor, Newton, was born. 66 January 9th, 1507. Mars eclipsed by Jupiter. January 14th, 1742. Dr. Edmund Halley died, aged eightysix years. He was interred in Lee churchyard, near Greenwich. He will ever be revered for his discoveries in science, particularly in astronomy and navigation. "Immortal Halley! thy unwearied soul And gave to Britain half the Zemblian sky." January 22d, 1592. Gassendi born. Gassendi, at the early age of seven years, spent whole nights in observing the motions of the heavenly bodies, of which he acquired a considerable knowledge. The delight he experienced in gazing at the Moon and stars as they appeared in clear and unclouded weather, frequently drew him into by-places, in order to feast his eyes freely and undisturbed, by which means his parents had him often to seek, not without many anxious fears and apprehensions. JUVENILE OBITUARY. DIED, December 15th, 1842, at Whitton, in the Barton Circuit, JOHN GREEN, aged seventeen. His disposition was amiable from childhood, and serious impressions were very early made on his mind. When he was thirteen years old, he was sent to his elder brother's school, at Gainsborough. His religious impressions were there deepened; and in the course of a gracious revival of the work of God, he was amongst those who were led earnestly to seek, and who found, forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among the sanctified. He also joined the Wesleyan society. A few months after this, he was apprenticed at Hull, and allowed no time to elapse before he availed himself of the opportunity of continuing to enjoy the advantages of church-fellowship. He thus held fast his profession, and was enabled to maintain a sound experience and a consistent character. His master was likewise his Class-Leader, and since his death has borne a pleasing testimony to this. Before he had been one year with Mr. Field, his health failed, and he was obliged to return home. A tumour rose on his back, and was followed by others on different parts. These soon became painful sores, and for more than fifteen months he was a suffering cripple. For a time he was able to walk a little by the aid of crutches; and as long as he was able, he attended the means of grace. Often did he draw water with joy out of these wells of salvation. His sufferings were sometimes extreme, and extorted groans of anguish; but he betook himself to prayer, and was often wonderfully supported. Many of the hymns for "Believers suffering" were of great service to him, and he frequently employed their expressive and beautiful language in prayer. Occasionally, as was to be expected, the vigilant enemy took advantage of the seasons when affliction appeared to press more heavily than usual, to suggest hard thoughts of God. John knew that this was temptation, refused to listen to the suggestion, and fled for refuge to the throne of grace, always finding there grace to help in the time of his need. Whenever the paroxysm of pain abated, he praised God for such intervals of ease. When visited by his juvenile companions, he earnestly exhorted them, without hesitation or delay, to enter the paths of holy wisdom, and to seek religion in health; enforcing his exhortations by referring to himself, and the inexpressible value of religion in sufferings like his own. Sometimes the pain of the body would produce depression of spirits; but he encouraged himself in his Saviour, who said, during his agony and bloody sweat, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." The grace of God was indeed manifest in him. He was entirely preserved from a murmuring spirit, and was enabled, throughout his whole tedious and suffering course, to "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." The approach of death occasioned him no alarm; for he could "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The night before he died his father slept in the room with him, and heard nothing to call his attention to his son; but when he arose in the morning, he found that he was speechless. The solemn change had come on him almost imperceptibly. He had entered the valley, and was already, though alive, advanced beyond farther communications with his friends on earth. He very soon expired in great peace. J. HUNT. POETRY. ONE GOETH, AND ANOTHER COMETH. WHEREVER in this world below The eye of contemplation roameth, All things are in a ceaseless flow; One season to its daughter leads: The violet dies, the cowslip bloometh; A moment mark that rapid stream, No longer is its lapse the same; As clouds across the welkin range, One goeth, and another cometh. |