erry-coloured catkins of the alder (betula ive an air of cheerfulness to the otherwise A desolate scene.

principal objects worthy of attention in the le kingdom, in the present month, are the specics of mosses, which are, many of them, loom, exhibiting, like some evergreens, their and fruit at the same time. There is much rest the curious observer, even among these mosses; they, in general, bear their stamens tils in separate flowers, either on the same or erent plants. What Linnæus considered to be hers have proved to be the real seed-vessels; the sowing of the seeds, a very plentiful crop en raised of young mosses similar to their s in every respect.

ling and insignificant as mosses appear, their re by no means inconsiderable: they thrive best ren places, and most of them love cold and re: they protect the more tender plants when egin to expand in the spring, as the experience gardener can testify, which teaches him to with moss the soil and pots which contain his rest plants; for it equally defends the roots st the scorching sunbeams and the severity of ost. In the spring, when the Sun has considerpower in the day, and the frosts at night are sethe roots of young trees are liable to be thrown f the ground and killed, but if they are covered moss this accident can never happen: they who ond of raising trees from seed, will find it greatly eir interest to attend to this precaution. Several ies of mosses grow upon marshes, and in proof time occupy the space formerly filled with er; forming, in their decayed state, immense and masses of peat, which, where coal and d are scarce, is of great use as fuel.

heasant shooting usually terminates about the 1st, partridge-shooting about the 15th, of February,

In this month early potatoes are set, hedges re paired, trees lopped, and wet lands drained. Pop lars, willows, osiers, and other aquatics, are planted

Phenomena and Natural History of the Arcti Regions.

About the period of the shortest day, Captai Parry thus beautifully describes the situation of him self, his officers and crew, while, ice-bound and snow surrounded, they were compelled to winter in thi inhospitable region. The officers (says he) wer in the habit of occupying one or two hours in th middle of the day in rambling on shore, even in ou darkest period, except when a fresh wind and heavy snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may well be imagined, that, at thi period, there was but little to be met with in ou walks on shore, which could either amuse or interes us. The necessity of not exceeding the limite distance of one or two miles, lest a snow-drift, which often rises very suddenly, should prevent our return added considerably to the dull and tedious monoton which, day after day, presented itself. To the south ward was the sea, covered with one unbroken sur face of ice, uniform in its dazzling whiteness, excep that, in some parts, a few hummocks were see thrown up somewhat above the general level. No did the land offer much greater variety, being almos entirely covered with snow, except here and there brown patch of bare ground in some exposed situ ations, where the wind had not allowed the snow t remain. When viewed from the summit of the neigh bouring hills, on one of those calm clear day which not unfrequently occurred during the winter the scene was such as to induce contemplations which had, perhaps, more of melancholy than o

e eye could long rest with pleasure, unless rected to the spot where the ships lay, and our little colony was planted. The smoke ere issued from the several fires, affording indication of the presence of man, gave a cheerfulness to this part of the prospect; sound of voices which, during the cold weauld be heard at a much greater distance than served now and then to break the silence reigned around us,-a silence far different at peaceable composure which characterizes dscape of a cultivated country; it was the e stilness of the most dreary desolation, total absence of animated existence. Such, was the want of objects to afford relief to or amusement to the mind, that a stone of han usual size appearing above the snow, in ection in which we were going, immediately e a mark, on which our eyes were unconscifixed, and towards which we mechanically zed.'-(Journal, pp. 124-125.)

1

MSON has a magnificent description of these ions, with an affecting allusion to the fate of UGH WILLOUGHBY, and his crew, sent by ELIZABETH, on an expedition of discovery inhospitable, bleak, and barren clime.

The Muse

Thence sweeps the howling margin of the main;
Where undissolving, from the first of time,
Snows swell on suows amazing to the sky;
And icy mountains high on mountains piled,
Seem to the shivering sailor from afar.
Shapeless and white, an atmosphere of clouds.
Projected huge, and horrid, o'er the surge,
Alps frown on Alps; or rushing hideous down,
As if old Chaos was again returned,

Wide rend the deep, and shake the solid pole,
Ocean itself no longer can resist

The binding fury; but, in all its rage
Of tempest taken by the boundless frost,
Is many a fathom to the bottom chained,

Aud bid to roar no more; a bleak expanse,
Shagged o'er with wavy rocks, cheerless, and void
Of every life, that from the dreary months
Flies conscious southward. Miserable they,
Who here, entangled in the gathering ice,
Take their last look of the descending sun;
While full of death, and fierce with tenfold frost,
The long, long night incumbent o'er their heads,
Falls horrible! Such was the Briton's fate,

As with first prow (what have not Britons dared-?)
He for the passage sought, attempted since
So much in vain, and seeming to be shut
By jealous Nature with eternal bars.
In these fell regions, in Arzina caught,
And to the stony deep his idle ship
Immediate sealed, he with his hapless crew,
Each full exerted at his several task,
Froze into statutes; to the cordage glued
The sailor, and the pilot to the helm.

About the last mentioned period (Dec. 21), th return of each successive day had always been ver decidedly marked by a considerable twilight for som time about noon, that on the shortest day allowin two hours for walking out. There was usually, i clear weather, a beautiful arch of bright red ligh overspreading the southern horizon for an hour two before and after noon, the light increasing, course, in strength, as the sun approached the mer dian. Short as the day now was (if indeed any pa of the 24 hours could properly be called by tha name), the reflection of light from the snow, aide occasionally by a bright moon, was at all times su ficient to prevent our navigators from experiencin even under the most unfavourable circumstance any thing like the gloomy night which occurs in mo temperate climates.

The following lines, forming part of some very ex cellent Reflections on the Morning of Christma day, 1819,' while they afford a pleasing illustratio of Captain Parry's description just given, fully evind that, whatever tendency the cold might have to co solidate every thing in the shape of a liquid it ha

power to freeze the genial current of the poesy,' or to bind in its icy, adamantine the ever-welling stream that flows from the of Hippocrene:

tich from the blushing East no glory darts

fo chase the shadowy night;-but all is gloom,
Save where the moon's young crescent o'er the snows
Emits a trembling radiance, faintly seen

Through mists obscure; or sparkling, seen on high,
The countless myriads of the stars diffuse

Their distant, glimmering, scarce-enlightening rays ■!
Behind yon cloud a stream of paly light 2
Shoots up its pointed spires; again immerged,
Sweeps forth with sudden start, and, waving round
In changeful forms, assumes the brighter glow
Of oriental topaz-then as sudden sinks

In deeper russet, and at once expires!

he 11th of January, 1820, the greatest degree d was experienced, the thermometer having to forty nine degrees below zero; but the weaeing quite calm, 'we walked on shore (obCaptain Parry) for an hour without inconve, the sensation of cold depending much more degree of wind at the time, than on the absoemperature of the atmosphere as indicated by ermometer.' That violent sensation said to be ced on the lungs (like rending them asunder) the air is inhaled at a very low temperature, never experienced by our arctic navigators, ch, in passing from the cabins into the open air, were constantly in the habit, for some months, dergoing a change of from 80° to 100°, and, in al instances, 120° of temperature, in less than ninute; and, what is still more extraordinary, single inflammatory complaint (except a comcold) occurred during this particular period.—

e a most beautiful engraving of an Arctic night-scene,' in Capt. s Journal.

urora Borealis.

forth Georgia Gazette, p. 53.