obtained by man from the earth, generally being found at some depth below its surface: and by various labours are made of use and comfort to us in our life. All metals can be either melted, shaped by heavy beating, or drawn out into wire.

64.-RIVERS OF ENGLAND.

The Thames and the Severn are the largest rivers in England. The Thames rises in Gloucestershire, and flows from west to east. It flows by Oxford and London, and falls into the sea at the Nore. The Severn rises in North Wales, and flows by Shrewsbury and Worcester, and falls into the Bristol Channel. The Trent rises in Staffordshire, and running into the river Ouse, takes the name of Humber, and falls into the sea near Hull.

65. THE SEA.

That vast body of water which surrounds the land, and covers a great part of the surface of our globe, is called the sea. Men pass in ships from one land to another, over the sea, and convey the natural productions of different countries from one to the other. Great Britain, in which we live, is an island, or land surrounded by sea, into which all our great rivers run.

66.-THE AIR, CLOUDS, AND Rain.

Our health depends very much on the purity of the air which we breathe. All rooms ought to be

very often opened to admit fresh air.

The wet or

moisture which rises from the earth takes the shape of cloud or vapour, and falls again to the earth in the shape of rain. The clouds cool the air we breathe, and the surface of the earth, by coming between it and the sun.

67.-PAPER.

Paper is made from rags. The rags are bought at the paper-mill, where they are put into a machine which tears them to pieces, and by the aid of running water reduces them to a soft pulp. This substance is taken up in thin sheets, and laid upon felt, and pressed. These sheets are hung up to dry, and afterwards again pressed, and covered with size, a kind of glue. The whole process of paper-making takes about three weeks.

68. INSECTS.

Insects are known by their having more than four legs. Some of them have wings, and others are without them. Some of them have four eyes; others, such as the spider, have eight. They have no bones, but are provided instead with a thick or muscular skin. A great number of them exist only during warm weather, heat being necessary for their existence. There are a great number of them too small to be observed by the human

eye.

69. THE MOON AND THE STARS.

The stars which we see in the sky are all worlds, most of them many times larger than this round world, the earth, which we live upon. The moon, which gives us light by night, is distant from the earth 239,182 miles. There are several stars which move round the sun. These are called planets. The evening star, that bright one which shines above the setting sun, is a planet.

70.-THE EARTH.

This earth which we inhabit is round, and one among the countless worlds in the creation. Though the light of the sun enlightens and warms us, yet the sun is distant from the earth 95,000,000 miles. The earth being like a round ball, the distance through the middle of it from one side to the other, which is called the diameter, is 7,958 miles. The earth moves round the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, and nearly 49 minutes.

71.-DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

About 300 years ago America was discovered by Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa. He set sail from Spain, being convinced in his mind, that by sailing westwards, he could arrive at the coast of Asia, and little thinking that the great continent of America, the largest of all the continents, lay between him and Asia. After a voyage of thirty

three days, the land was discovered. The Bahama islands, and the island of Saint Domingo, were the first land which he reached.

72.-CAPTAIN COOK.

Among the many brave seamen whom our country has given birth to, one of the best known is Captain Cook, who in the years A.D. 1777, discovered the Sandwich Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. He also ascertained the western boundaries of the great continent of America. Captain Cook was murdered by the savages in one of the Sandwich islands in 1779. A church and a school now stand near the spot where he was killed, most of the inhabitants having been converted to Christianity by the missionaries.

73.--CLOCKS AND WATCHES.

Clocks, moved by wheels and weights, first began to be used in Europe about six hundred years ago. Watches were first used in England in the reign of Henry VIII. At first they were very clumsily made. People in those days commonly told the time by sun-dials and hour-glasses, containing sand made to run for a certain length of time. Now clocks and watches have been brought to great perfection, and if properly cared for, vary very little in giving us the right time.

74.-MANUFACTURES OF ENGLAND.

A great number of persons in England are employed, and gain their daily bread, not by the cultivation of the ground, but in manufactures. The chief manufacture in England is that of woollen cloth; for as our country abounds in wide pastures and extensive downs, which feed great numbers of sheep, wool is easily obtained. Other manufactures are those of cotton goods, silk, cutlery, and earthenware. Thus all men are bound up together, and work for the common good. Each in his own employment is necessary to the happiness of his fellow-men.

75.-PINS AND NEEDLES.

We little think how much care is necessary in making some of the things most common in our daily use. Pins are made of brass wire, spun out fine, by being wound off from a number of wheels. Afterwards, it is cut into small pieces, and sharpened upon grinding stones. Needles are made of steel, reduced to a very fine wire. They are hardened by being made red-hot in a charcoal fire, in which they are laid on iron plates; on being taken out of which they are thrown into cold water. They are afterwards polished.

76.-WINTER IN THE POLAR REGIONS.

There are parts of the earth, to the north and